Ordinary Just Won't Do
by Khaila
Summary: It's 2007, ten years since he left Hogwarts & Draco has been assigned to a small town in the USA. His job is to find Harry Potter's only missing friend, Hermione Granger, find out why she didn't return to London after the war, and bring he
1. Chapter 1

Title: Ordinary Just Won't Do

Chapter: Chapter 1

Author name: Brittney

Author email: Babygyrll16@aol.com

Category: Romance

Sub Category: Drama

Keywords: Hermione Draco Harry Ron D/Hr

Rating: PG-13

Summary: (Post-Hogwarts) It's 2007, ten years since he left Hogwarts and Draco has been assigned to a small town in the USA. His job is to find Harry Potter's only missing friend, Hermione Granger, find out why she didn't return to London after the war, and bring her home ASAP. What happens when he finds her and something more? Will he return her and her secrets? Or will he 'disappear' too?

DISCLAIMER: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. 

Author notes: A lot of spells in this story will be made up because I needed more than I knew!

  


_Slitorious_ - a spell that opens skin that the wand is pointed at 

  
  
  


"Ordinary Just Won't Do"

  
  


Ch. 1

  


Twenty-seven-year-old Draco Malfoy walked down the hall of the International Confederation of Wizards in London a file in his slightly tan hands. He had just returned from an assignment in the South Pacific in which he returned with the spirits of three missing soldiers from the Great War. 

  


The Great War had been over for five years, the war had reached every corner of the Globe Muggle and non-Muggle. Draco had fought in the war from day one, ten years ago, and had been involved with the effort up to this day. His job at ICWL was to find all missing spirits of soldiers or soldiers and bring them home ASAP. With his trip five months ago to the South Pacific all soldiers and spirits had been found, all except for one.

  


As he opened his office and the face of his old, withering, boss met him, "Draco," George O'Hare grinned. "I see you have returned with a nice tan."

  


Draco took it with stride, taking the old mans hand and refusing to smile. He had joined the light side right out of Hogwarts and had been 'cordial' to all ever since, "Yes. Well, both spirits were dwelling near the beach."

  


"Mmm, the Battle of Ollei in Palau, I remember it well. Were you there?" George asked as Draco sat the file in front of him.

  


Draco's face furrowed in thought before looking at his boss, "The Battle of Ollei? No, but that's where Cornelius Fudge died."

  


George O'Hare scowled, "Traitor."

  


"How can he be a traitor when he was never on your side, sir?" Draco mumbled loudly before stamping "Closed" on the file.

  


"How true," George replied before sitting another folder in front of Draco. "Your next assignment, straight from the-boy-now-man-who-lived."

  


"Potter?" Draco questioned with much distaste.

  


"One and only, we are keeping this file open because of him and the others who wish to continue in the search," George replied shaking his head as a look of grief overcame him. "I fear she's dead but Mr. Potter will hear none of that."

  


Draco slowly opened the file, settling his eyes on the pretty brown haired girl, who in the picture, was about twenty years old. He could still see a fresh wound on the base of her neck as if someone had used a Slitorious on her, her smile didn't reach her eyes, and the wind in the photo blew her soiled and tattered clothes.

  


They had searched for her from the moment of the Dark Lord's fall five years ago. Harry Potter had destroyed Voldemort and lost the one who aided him the most. Hermione Granger had disappeared without a trace, there had been spells performed to determined her status of living and none had found her dead. There had been spells to locate her but all found her unplotable, all failures in the end, all leading most to assume her MIA. But many had decided she was dead long ago but some, like Harry, were determined she was alive.

  


"I hate to send my best on a wild goose chase but you are the ONLY person Mr. Potter will allow to search for her. He is convinced that you believe she is alive somewhere," George said with a small chuckle. "So I promised that tomorrow you would be in a small town trying to find her and bring her home."

  


"Where is she? We've been searching for five damn years! How did we find her now after we've located just more than a million others? How did she escape our charms?" he asked excitedly, Harry wasn't wrong, his heart told him she was alive somewhere.

  


"This time we used Human Trackers to track her aura. My grandfather always said 'you can change your appearance but you can never change your soul.' And while you were in Palau we had the Human Tracker's track her aura the best they could. They reported that it was in southern USA in a small wizarding town known as Waving Wands, Louisiana. Population one thousand, the city is not completely unplottable, and her aura seems settled there," George replied placidly trying to calm the young man down.

  


"You used means of Divination to find Hermione Marie Granger? She would laugh you to death right now," Draco laughed to himself, knowing what she thought of that 'gift'.

  


"Well, I know you will be happy to get away from the spirits and let the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures Spirit and Being Divisions take over questioning all that were brought home. All except Hermione will be given over to them, Harry insists that you do everything," George O'Hare said to his employee as he stood turning for the door.

  


"So I leave tomorrow?" 

  


"Tomorrow son," George replied with a smile the left as soon as it appeared. "I just hope that you give yourself time to grieve if all this is a dead-end. You think I don't know how much this means to you -- but I do."

  


Draco's grey eyes just stared at the man before a word was spoken, "Thanks George."

  


"Good luck boy," George said before pulling open the door. "_Accio_ Pen, see ya in a couple of months." 

  


The moment the door closed Draco connected to his Fire Talking system, "Harry Potter?"

  


"Yea, Draco you back already?" Harry Potter said as Draco's face appeared in his fire place.

  


"Why did you REQUEST me to find her?" Draco asked cutting to the chase.

  


"Because you believe she's alive, I know you do Malfoy, I know," Harry replied as if he should know that. 

  


"What if I don't bring her back Harry? You're the bloody hero you should be gallivanting about searching for your dear little Mu--Know-it-all," Draco practically yelled, sending the flames into an uproar.

  


Harry laughed softly at his attempt to insult Hermione, "I could find her Malfoy, no doubt about that. But I couldn't bring her home, only one person ever could and I have faith that he is going to Waving Wands tomorrow to find her."

  


"Tell Ginny hello," Draco replied softly as his disconnected his system, he was full of fear, and his memories were betraying him. All he could see in his minds eye was her nursing him back to health, her taking curses for him, her using the Killing curse on his father after he was pulled down by the Cruciatus Curse. 

  


"Mr. Malfoy," Hannah Abbot whispered opening the door a little, revealing Dean Thomas behind her. "Dean and I just stopped by to say we hope you find her, she was the true light . . . for all of us."

  


"Good luck Malfoy," Dean said genuinely. "For your sake and mine."

  


Draco nodded his thanks in a way that said it without words. He was tongue tied, his was heart in an uproar, and his mind was in circles. He had to find her, for himself.

  


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  


Draco walked slowly through Diagon Alley past shops that were full of shoppers even now as the sun went down. He had lived alone for so long it seemed to the only way to be, the closest he ever came to having a roommate was his best friend Blaise. Blaise stayed over every now and then just give Draco a little company. And Blaise also took care his penthouse apartment while he was away on business.

  


As he passed Ollivander's he heard a familiar voice call his name, "Hey Drake!"

  


Draco turned to see the tall dark haired boy running toward him, "Blaise!"

  


"How you doin' man?" Blaise asked as they gave each other manly hugs, complete with the back patting.

  


Draco tried his best to muster his trademark smirk but it wasn't coming, "I'm OK, you?"

  


"I just ran into Weasley over there with Pansy and they told me about your new assignment. I can't believe that you're taking it man, " Blaise rambled as people passed them quickly.

  


"There are some things that a man just has to do," Draco replied as they started again toward his penthouse.

  


"Trying to find Hermione Granger after five years? It's a suicide mission man," Blaise exclaimed as the wind blew his perfect black hair.

  


"No, it's not Blaise, it's -- it's just something that I need to do, " Draco replied as they walked into his building that is right behind Gringotts Bank.

  


"Did I tell you that Pansy's fathers auction was completely bought by Borgin & Burkes?" Blaise asked as they walked up the stairs toward his penthouse.

  


"Every dark item in the house?" Draco asked looking for his key.

  


"Yep, they are they only store in England that even sells Dark Items since the war ended," Blaise replied pulling his spare key from his pocket as they reach Draco's penthouse.

  


"You and Potter will have their license yet, "Draco laughed as he stopped by the OWL POST in the building to pick up any stray mail that wasn't directly delivered.

  


Blaise smiled as they entered Draco's lavish penthouse, "Potter and I don't even work together anymore. He works with Terry Boot now, and I work with Lavender Brown-Finch-Fletchley now."

  


"The cute Gryffindor Lavender married that boring Finch-Fletchley boy?" Draco asked incredulously as he opened a letter from the Rich Wizards Society.

  


"Even has a kid, word is Mr. Finch-Fletchley, who teaches Herbology at Durmstang, doesn't like his wife being so far away and being an Auror. So supposedly Mrs. Brown-Finch-Fletchley is being transferred to Durmstang in June, so I'll probably be working with Potter again or that Tracey Davis who is on maternity leave," Blaise replied jumping on Draco's imported couch.

  


"Who did Davis marry? I remember our Slytherin days together, I always thought she was gay," Draco asked as he threw the letter from the Society of Wealthy Wizard Bachelors into the fire.

  


Blaise laughed a little as Draco skimmed over a letter from his grandmother, "She married Flint last May."

  


"Marcus?" Draco yelled, his mouth opened in surprise.

  


"Yep," Blaise shuddered. "Imagine the children."

  


"Don't scare me like that," Draco laughed finishing the letter from his Grandmother with a smile and sat it on his desk.

  


After a moment of silence Blaise looked at his best friend, "So what do you know about her?"

  


Draco looked up, confused, "About whom?"

  


"Hermione," Blaise asked. "What do you know about her?"

  


"Nothing," Draco sighed tiredly. "Except that she is supposedly in Waving Wands, Louisiana, US of A. I don't know what she would look like now or if she's had some magical changes to her appearance. All I have is what I remember of her."

  


Blaise looked at him for a moment before continuing, "Which is everything, right? What do you forget about the woman you love? Even after five years."

  


Draco closed his eyes, trying his best to keep his eyes from watering like they did every time he thought about her, "Look, Blaise, I have to get up early tomorrow I have to get to bed. I'll Owl you."

  


"Yea," Blaise replied stretching as he stood his full six feet and four inches. "Good luck man."

  


"Thanks," Draco said softly, closing the door behind his friend.

  


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  


At eight A.M. Draco was awake and sitting his bags next to the door. He would have to leave in thirty minutes if he was to Apparate right over the Atlantic. He was nervous, his hands were shaking, and the coffee wasn't helping him at all.

  


He glanced down at the clock on the wall and the hand was pointing to, "TIME TO GO." He whispered a simple cleaning charm and sat the cup on the rack in the kitchen. He would have to Apparate now while he was fully awake, intercontinental apparitions are done by HIGHLY trained wizards, they even have to have permission on their license.

  


Draco picked up his bags in one hand, his Owl cage in the other, and whispered, "_Apparate Waving Wands, La."_

  


And in a blink of an eye he reappeared in a small shop, in a hallway that looked like it had been walked through too many times. It was the Apparition Hall, the only place in town where one could Apparate Intercontinently. Draco levitated his bags toward the store counter and an old blue haired witch who looked twice Dumbledore's age when Draco began Hogwart's.

  


"Why hello sir! I'm Miriam Hoddies and I own this here establishment," the woman said in a quaint southern accent. "I'll be happy to point you in any direction of this great town."

  


Draco tried his best to smile at the old lady, "Mrs. Hoddies I'm here looking for a woman. Hermione Granger, would you know where she is?"

  


"Miss Granger huh?" Miriam smiled. "A lot of men are after that one but never one so good looking or as foreign as you."

  


Draco smiled at that, she was here, and she used her real name, "Could you point me in her direction?"

  


"Sure could," Miriam replied walking slowly from behind the counter. "She should be over at the Cooling Cauldron with James Smith, having a drink."

  


"Thanks Mrs. Hoddies," he replied as he looked across the small street teeming with witches and wizards.

  


"No problem Mister . . . ?" Miriam asked looking Draco over with an eye of approval.

  


"Malfoy, Draco Malfoy," he replied nodding his head as he'd been taught. "I assume that you know where I could find a place to stay?"

  


"What kind of budget are you on?" Miriam asked as she opened an old battered book with Waving Wands flashing on the front. 

  


"Money is no object, I want the best Waving Wands offers," Draco replied in that arrogant voice Hermione always hated but always found rather sexy.

  


"Furry Fables Inn offers a suite for 155 galleons, 9 sickles and 12 knuts a night," she suggested raising an eyebrow at the price of one suite.

  


"I would like something like a flat," he replied thinking that price rather low for what he was aiming for.

  


"A flat?" Miriam asked bewildered at his British talk.

  


"An apartment, I want the VERY best Mrs. Hoddies. I promise my father, Lucius Malfoy, was extremely wealthy and MONEY is no object," Draco assured the flustered woman.

  


"If you're sure," she whispered as turned to back of the book, "the Corner Tavern offers a suite for 3111 galleons, 1 sickle and 27 knuts a night. Best in Waving Wands I'd say, not many have the privilege of even visiting there --"

  


"I'll take it! Where would I find the Corner Tavern?" he asked levitating his bags once more.

  


"Right next door," Miriam smiled. "Do come back now."

  


Draco hurried out in the Louisiana heat and into the wooden building that looked like it was to be condemned in a matter of minutes. But when he stepped into the Corner Tavern it was a totally different atmosphere. There were haughty looking wizards and witches all over the place. The walls were decorated in shimmering diamonds and huge rubies hung off the chandeliers. The stairs and floors were lined in Gold and Ivory, the walls were full of paintings of long dead patriarchs, and rails and desks were of marble.

  


Draco put on his best Lucius face and sauntered up to the check-in desk. The blonde haired girl turned to him with a courteous smile, "Good Morning Sir, and welcome to the Corner Tavern, I'm Jaden Simpson and I'm at your service."

  


"I want the best room you offer, " Draco tried to reply as his father would have but Lucius was not in him as much as he had once been.

  


"Ah, the Imperial suite, 3111 galleons, 1 sickle and 27 knuts a night. It's only been used three times in the Tavern's history," Jaden replied opening the rooms book. "And who are you to be wanting to be the fourth? Can you possibly afford it?"

  


"Of course I can, I'm Draco Xavier Malfoy, son of Lucius Caesar Malfoy XIV," Draco leered as his grandfather did, that he would never forget how to do. "I will be here on an extended stay, I don't know how long I will be here, bill me monthly, please."

  


Jaden straightened up as she heard the coolness in his tone, but she lingered for a moment trying to associate his name with her memory, "Will do Mr. Malfoy."

  


"Thank you," he said as she handed him the gold key and he threw her 6 galleons, 4 sickles and 23 knuts the same as thirty dollars. 

  


An emerald-robed elf appeared and picked up all of his bags, "Follow Itsy, Itsy will take Master to Master's room."

  


The Corner Tavern only had four floors so it had to be pretty wide to have all the rooms that it claimed it did. Draco reached his room on the fourth floor to realize his room was the fourth floor. He whispered a word of thanks to Itsy before exploring his new home.

  


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  


After putting all his clothes away and writing his mother, he walked back to Miriam Hoddies shop. He walked back through the door with a genuine smile and she met him with one in return.

  


"Mr. Malfoy has you not met your lady?" she asked handing a little wizard a Chocolate Frog.

  


"No," Draco replied watching the little wizard run out. "I had to check in, I was wondering where would she be now?"

  


"Still at the Cooling Cauldron café," Miriam replied with a smile. "Workaholic she is."

  


"She works there?" Draco asked completely appalled that the smartest, most clever, wittiest witch he'd ever met was waiting tables.

  


"She owns that place, bought it from Jaden Simpson's dying grandfather," she replied sitting out another box of frogs. "I'm sure you met Jaden over at the Tavern. Hermione really helped that old man."

  


"Thanks, Mrs. Hoddies, see ya," Draco called as he headed for the door and the establishment that Hermione owned.

  


He waked into the Cooling Cauldron Café to see a mellow sort of environment, the type that she'd always enjoyed. It was tidy, clean, smelt of cappuccino, and bustling with business.

  


He stood in the doorway trying to locate her and there she was behind the bar, working, when she didn't have to. He maneuvered his way through the crowd and onto the stool right in front of her.

  


Her hair was in the middle of her back, even now in a ponytail, the scar on her neck was like a dull brown necklace. She was more curvy than he had ever seen her and she was tan, but with the heat outside five years would give you the perfect tan.

  


"What would you like sir," Hermione asked without looking up at Draco.

  


Draco smiled as she handed another man a drink, "Perfect Ten, two pieces of ice, half Butterbeer."

  


He knew that she would recognize his signature drink if nothing else, and he was right, her head shot up, "D-Draco M-M-Malfoy?"

  


"In the flesh," Draco replied without a smile, his eyes lingered on her neck, he shivered as he saw faint bruise marks along the scar.

  


"What are you doing here?" she asked handing him his drink, her eyes dancing all over him.

  


"I'm a Detective with the International Confederation of Wizards in London, I am in charge of finding . . . ," his voice faded as he looked at her. She was everything he remembered, her eyes were bright like when they were children, and skin was virtually scarless in his eyes. Hermione was still breathtaking in his eyes, she was the only witch in the town who was old enough yet young enough to have fought in the war. And she was like the war poster girl for veterans.

  


Hermione stood looking at him, her eyes as wide as saucers, "Get out of here. Meet me at 89 Rosewand Road at eight o'clock. I have to finish out my friend's shift here, please."

  


He looked up at her, took a quick shot out of his drink, and stood up, "At eight then."

  


Draco turned to walk out of the café but she stopped him, "Draco, please be there."

  


He looked into her pleading eyes as she whispered three words he had waited to hear for so long. He didn't reply he just turned around slowly and sauntered out of the café. He would be there, no doubt about that, he would be there.

  
  



	2. Chapter 2

Title: Ordinary Just Won't Do  
Chapter: Chapter 2  
Author name: Brittney  
Author email: Babygyrll16@aol.com  
Category: Romance  
Sub Category: Drama  
Keywords: Hermione Draco Harry Ron D/Hr  
Rating: PG-13  
Summary: (Post-Hogwarts) It's 2007, ten years since the trio left Hogwarts Draco has been assigned to a small town in the USA. His job is to find Harry Potter's only missing friend, Hermione Granger, find out why she didn't return to London after the war, and bring her home ASAP. What happens when he finds her and something more? Will he return her and her secrets? Or will he 'disappear' too?  
DISCLAIMER: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.   
Author notes: All the places that mentioned in this story are real, they do exist. Except Waving Wands, La.  
_Abrumpo Exosssis - a curse that breaks every bone in the body   
- Abrumpo - means break off  
- Exosssis - means without bones  
_Machiavellian  
adj: of or relating to Machiavelli or the principles of conduct  
he recommended; "Machiavellian thinking"   
Niccolo Machiavelli  
n : a statesman of Florence who advocated a strong central  
government (1469-1527)  
Draconian \Dra*co"ni*an\, a.  
Pertaining to Draco, a famous lawgiver of Athens, 621 b. c.  
Draconian code, or Draconian laws, a code of laws made by  
Draco. Their measures were so severe that they were said  
to be written in letters of blood; hence, any laws of  
excessive rigor.Source: WordNet ®) 1.7Draconian  
adj : of or relating to Draco or his harsh code of laws;  
_Cor Cordi _- means the heart_ Seruptioonis _- means bursting attack   
  


"Ordinary Just Won't Do"  
  


Ch. 2  
  
Draco stepped out of the carriage at 89 Rosewand Road, opened the fence, and stepped into the yard that could only be Hermione's. He had been finding people for years and this was the first time he was afraid he wouldn't return with the body. He struggled to keep his Machiavellian air, understanding that, only she could put him through such a struggle.  
  
Draco walked slowly to the door, looking around him for no apparent reason, he then knocked. While he waited at the door, he noticed how secluded Rosewand Road was. The little cottage was surrounded by trees and one house so far down the road it looked like it was hanging off the horizon. It reminded him of the Battle of Porto - Novo in Benin, the last stand of Wormtail, it was there that he was captured and sent to Azkaban.  
  
Hermione opened the door without a smile and he slipped in. The decor was just like her but it wasn't like her to have the blinds down, the curtains closed, several locks on the doors, and from the looks of it several hexes on all entrances. He made mental notes of it all and equated it all to the reason she ran instead of retiring in England like the war hero she was.  
  
"You made it Detective Malfoy," she said as she led him into a comfortable room with a large fireplace decorated throughout with red and black. "Please have a seat."  
  
"Yes, thank you," Draco replied, taken back by the use of his surname, she hadn't called him that in years.   
  
"Would you like some tea?" Hermione asked lighting the fire the Muggle way.  
  
"No, thank you," Draco replied with a shake of his head.  
  
Hermione gave him a fake smile as she sat in front of him, "Let's cut to the chase Detective. You want to know why I am here and not off getting a silver wand handle for bravery, correct?"  
  
"Correct, Miss Granger," he said looking up into her face for the first time since he arrived. "The International Confederation of Wizards has been searching for MIA & Dead soldiers for Ten years. Still, five years ago the Minister of Magic, Percy Weasley, assigned the International Confederation of Wizards in Britain to find all the spirits and MIA bodies that we could. Just yesterday I completed my second to last mission, you, Miss Granger, are the last and only MIA soldier.   
  
"Everyone else has been accounted for. Some were AK'ed, somewhere tortured to death, some died of sicknesses, some were killed the Muggle way, and many were just left to suffer when they could have been saved. You, Miss Granger, are a lucky one. You survived but you ran, and so part of my mission is finding out why."  
  
Hermione nodded her head before looking down into the fire, speaking in a tone so low that Draco almost missed it, "My life is still in danger, Detective. So the question should not have been 'why did you run' but who are you running from'."  
  
Draco stood quickly, turning his back to her, replied in his own dangerously hushed tone, "Then who are you running from Miss Granger?"  
  
"Lucius Malfoy's avengers," she said looking up at the man she hadn't seen in half a decade.  
  
"Avenger's? Everyone who would have wanted him alive is dead or worse! Who would be stupid enough to admit wanting him alive?" Draco asked, turning around to face her.  
  
"Not anyone you would suspect Detective. What do you do with those in Azkaban who never had any cheerful thoughts to begin with? Those who never felt or experienced positive emotions, those whose whole lives were horrible and dark? So dark that there is not a soul for Dementors to take," Hermione asked as her eyes finally met his.  
  
Draco inhaled loudly before answering the fragile looking young woman, "They are usually housed there until sickness or old age kills them."  
  
Hermione nodded her head, "And they are granted visitors like all of Azkaban's prisoners."  
  
"Correct," Draco replied, mentally chastising himself for his lack of instinct on the situation.  
  
"Detective, I don't think I have to explain how easy it would be for those still-sane prisoners to send someone else to do their dirty work," she said wringing her hands, looking wise beyond her years.  
  
He shook his head, leaning down on the arm of her chair, staring at the side of her face asking, "Do you know who any of my father's avengers are?"  
  
"I would never allow you on a suicide mission of that capacity," Hermione replied avoiding his gaze, "You know that, so why ask?"  
  
"Humph," Draco laughed to himself standing up straight, "you haven't changed a bit Granger. Still bossy and have yet to realize that I have never cared what people would _allow _me to do."  
  
Hermione stayed quiet and he leaned over again, his lip's inches from her face, "You of all people should know that."  
  
She stood up quickly, walking over to the fireplace, her hands pulling on the sides of the black dress robes she wore.  
  
"Detective these men have been after me for five years. They denied me my wedding, my silver wand handle, my peace, my happiness, my damn 'Happy Ever After'. This is all I have, the only place sheltered from the War, Detective, these men want me dead. I know who they are. Whom do you think tried to perform an _Abrumpo Exosssis_ on me?   
  
"It broke every bone in my body and left me stranded just outside Scotland. There, five months after the Last Stand of Voldemort, an old American man found me, nursed me back to health, and brought me here. That wasn't the first time that was the last time I've been cursed by them, but every time I go out of town people are attacked and hexed."  
  
"You've been hiding Granger," Draco replied crossing his arms, "that's not the Gryffindor I remember."  
  
"You'd be hiding too, Detective, if four men half your size were trying to kill you and any you are close to," Hermione said as she turned to face him.   
  
"Is that why you forgot our wedding?" he asked staring her down with such force she almost collapsed.   
  
"Detective I couldn't reach out to you or any of my loved ones without putting you all in danger, " she replied looking away from his steel grip.  
  
"Humph," Draco chuckled. "Why is that so bad when we had been in danger for five years?"  
  
She avoided his question, "When I first arrived in Waving Wands I stayed at the Bridge Inn, which is in the Plottable area of town, and these men tracked me down somehow and killed half the wizards in the Inn. So I decided to move somewhere they couldn't find me, so instead of going to another town I just moved to the unplottable district of town."  
  
"Stop that Granger," Draco mumbled crossing his arms, "it makes me nervous."  
  
Hermione smiled at the little known fact that she had relished in finding out. Draco had always become nervous when someone, especially Hermione, changed the subject. It was almost like throwing his guard off, and he might not know what to say, "Some things never change."  
  
"Some things aren't of importance anymore, " he replied sitting back down on the sofa, noticing she wasn't lost on the entire meaning of his words.  
  
"True," Hermione whispered wringing her hands, "are you sure you don't want some tea Detective?"  
  
Draco frowned as he looked up at her, "Yes, I'm sure. I'm rather tired and I would like to rest, Intercontinental Apparition is tiresome. Could you come to my room tomorrow morning?"  
  
Hermione nodded as he stood up, "Where is your room?"  
  
"The Corner Tavern, fourth floor, " he replied as he walked out of the room back into the foyer.  
  
"What room?" she asked as he opened the door.  
  
"I am the fourth floor," Draco smirked as he walked out of the door, "good day."  
  
"Something's really do stay the same," Hermione whispered as she leaned against her closed door, meaning more than one thing.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Draco sat in the recliner in the front room of his fourth floor staring out the window. From his seat he could see across most of the town and could almost make out the patch of trees that started toward Rosewand Road.   
  
She was different yet the same. Her eyes were lifeless, almost dead, her skin almost as pale as he used to be, and her voice, it was heavy and burdened. He could remember when she had first became the woman she was today, it was one moment, in the heat of battle, that defined who she was now. It seemed decades ago but it was just eight years ago at the Battle of Mt. Carleton in New Brunswick, on the thickly forested slopes of the mountain.  
  
_The rain fell slowly down, getting caught by the leaves and dripping down on their faces slowly. They were sitting in Muggle made trenches and foxholes waiting, waiting, the mud clinging to their clothes relentlessly.   
  
The lightening lit up the sky for miles, showing the position of their soldiers for only a few feet. He knew the call would be made to move soon, only, he didn't know how soon. He had heard rumors that Voldemort's legions had become friends with Muggle mortars and shells. The rumor was that in Hawaii Voldemort had destroyed a Muggle and Wizarding town simultaneously with Muggle shells.  
  
Draco looked around him at the people who were in the trench with him and never before did the feeling of victory come to him so forcefully. To his right was his fiancÉ and to his left was most of Gryffindor House. His heart was a little perturbed at the thought that most of his old friends were on the bottom slopes of the mountain fighting with the Dark side.   
  
Nevertheless, he looked past Hermione and saw a sliver of black hair and smiled, Blaise Zabini, his best friend was discussing with Hermione what they may endure. He smiled, those two were all he needed to be content.  
  
Then the dark gaunt face of Sirius Black knelt before the trench, "Be ready to move in five."  
  
Draco looked at Hermione as she crawled out of the trench and mode her way to a huge tree that was right behind them, and he followed her. He pushed his back into her, his nose right over hair, and she quickly moved behind him. It was always this way, he never allowed her to be ahead of him, he didn't mind, he didn't want to live if she died.   
  
Her arms moved around his waist and her mouth met his ear, as water ran down the side of his face, "In 3."  
  
At that moment Draco turned and pulled her to him with a smile, the lightening came faster and he could see her face, her eyes. They were full of life yet lifeless at the same time, his arms went around her neck, "I love you."  
  
"I love you too," she whispered as her head rested on his shoulder, "Crucio."  
  
Draco jumped away from her to see a hooded man fall to the ground screaming, she had saved his life, again. Her wand was still pointed as the man screamed in horrible pain, he could see the other Death Eaters moving forward when Snape jumped from behind a massive tree and threw a grenade, "Move Out!"  
  
He kissed her cheek as he ran forward, Potter threw the first AK, he moved never looking back, jumping behind trees, ducking hexes, and returning hexes. The rain never stopped falling, dripping relentlessly, the lightening lit up the sky and thunder drowned out orders as the forces moved into battle.   
  
Draco knelt behind a fallen tree watching Hermione run throwing orders from Dumbledore, "Move in, force retreat, do it quickly, with little casualties to us. MOVE, MOVE, MOVE NOW!"   
  
She moved quickly as water fell off her slender frame, she moved beside Harry, whispering to him quickly. He took her hand pointed to Draco, she nodded and ran her fingers over his hair before she ran back to him. "Draco, Snape got hit."  
  
He looked over at her his eyes wide, the man was all he had for a father, "Not with AK right?"  
  
"No, " she sighed throwing a Stupefy at a Death Eater coming from the right, towards Harry. "It was just the Cruciatus, he'll be fine later, he won't be giving any orders today, it's all on Sirius now."  
  
Lightening lit up the sky around them and he stared into her eyes, in a split second her lively brown eyes had turned into a dead cold brown. His old Hermione was gone, he knew it, and she knew it.   
  
Hermione turned to run back to her post as Draco threw an AK, but she stopped to look back at him, "I love you."  
  
"I love you too," he replied chancing a glance her way, "now go."  
  
_Draco smiled remembering those days, he could remember her refusal to throw AK's, she never did throw them unless it was needed. Her decision to give one to Lucius Malfoy has put her life in danger. He wanted to know about these men now, and he didn't think he could wait till tomorrow morning to find out who was threatening her life.   
  
He went to his fire place and threw some powder into it, "Hermione?"  
  
She was walking out of the room when his head appeared in the fireplace, "Detective?"  
  
"Yes, I can't wait until tomorrow morning, you should Floo over immediately," Draco replied his expression serious and stony.  
  
"But Detective, it's late, I can come by in the morning, I shall think you'd want to sleep, " she replied almost stumbling over her words.  
  
Draco stayed quiet for a moment before replying, "At the Battle of Mt. Carleton eight years ago, we didn't sleep for three days. Now I'm in the mood to work, I don't mean to stay awake for three days but I do intend to work when I have the urge. Now you Floo over immediately and be prepared to work."  
  
Draco pulled his head out of the fireplace, throwing off his robes, unbuttoning the first two buttons of his shirt, pulling off his tie, and laying his suit jacket on the wide couch in front of the fireplace.   
  
Moments later she came jumping out his fireplace with a grunt, she had replaced her black robes with blood red ones. And placed her hair in a messy bun, "Here I am Detective."  
  
"Good," he said walking over to the bar, pouring her some tea into a cup, and sitting it in front of her. "Now we will work."  
  
Draco took his wand and conjured up a recording mechanism, "I want to know about these men who are they? Who are they connected to? And I'll figure out the rest."  
  
"That night in Scotland they stood around me, laughing at my pain, and talking to each other. They thought I would die, I didn't, and when I came here I used every resource available to figure out who they are. I don't know exactly whom they are connected to but I know one of them is related to or close to Barty Crouch Jr," Hermione said sitting on the couch, right on his coat.  
  
"Names please, if you know them," Draco said taking his Quill out and making a note on a piece of parchment.  
  
Hermione sat her cup on her knee before speaking, "A dark Frenchmen, his accent is thick, Adelard Good. Hobson Wilcome, he spoke about Barty Crouch Jr. a lot. Then there is Antonius Rosier, pale blond man, handsome even. Then the man who reminded me of Fudge, Gram Tunnelly. Do you know these men?"  
  
Draco smirked, with a deadly glint in his eye, "I grew up with Voldemort's Elite forces in my house. I know these men, and I know them and their connections. Adelard Good is the great-step-cousin of Mr. & Mrs. Lestrange, he is their daughter's stepsons second cousin. Hobson Wilcome is Barty Crouch's daughter Melody, Barty Jr sisters', oldest son.   
  
"Antonius Rosier is Evan Rosier's son, and Evan Rosier was a Death Eater killed by Aurors in 1980. Evan Rosier is Pansy Parkinson's Uncle, on her mother's side, and all of Pansy's Uncles, aunts, grandparents on the Rosier side are dead. So Mr. Rosier has to be working under Stephson Parkinson, because Mr. Parkinson would treat his Father-in-law's great-grandson with respect. Gram Tunnelly is Cornelius Fudge's only grandson, by his only daughter Carly."  
  
Hermione's eyes were wide with surprise, "How did you do that?"  
  
"Malfoy's have been trained for centuries to keep a mental manual on everyone they know, and never forget a single connection, ever, " Draco replied looking up at her with a hard Draconian face.  
  
"Fudge is dead, Crouch Jr, the Lestranges, & Stephson Parkinson is in Azkaban. I'm confused why would Tunnelly be in on this?" she asked looking at him with her eyebrow raised.  
  
"He and Crouch Jr were best friends, they did everything together," Draco said turning off the recording mechanism in his wand.  
  
"They want me dead Detective, what do you propose we do about that?" Hermione asked running her hands over her robes.  
  
"I propose you come home to England and let the Aurors take care of you," he replied moving to sit on the couch beside her.  
  
"There is only one man in the world whom I trust enough to take care of me anymore and he is not helping much right now," Hermione replied throwing a look at Draco before wringing her hands nervously.  
  
"Then look, come home and I'll find all kinds of protective services to take care of you," he argued back relentlessly.  
  
"Like they did Lily & James?" she yelled, glad that he was the fourth floor or the whole hotel would be awakened by their voices.  
  
"No," Draco sighed standing up, his pinstriped pants pulling against his tight legs as he paced the floor, his hair flying behind him in a loose ponytail. " I can take care of you from right here."  
  
"We need evidence Detective, can you use that brilliant brain of yours to figure out any way to find evidence?" Hermione asked her voice at a normal tone.  
  
"Granger, never forget this, I'm still a Malfoy. Maybe not in my decisions or actions, but with connections and names, I will forever be a Malfoy," Draco replied as his cuff links unbuttoning because of his constant movement.  
  
"Then powerful Mr. Malfoy explain your devious little plan," she replied looking up at him with a cocked eyebrow.  
  
"I have two friends that are top Aurors, so do you Miss Granger, one even set up this Mission for me. Mr. Potter it seems is most anxious to get you home but my other friend believes that this is a 'suicide mission'. I know he would gladly send me top secret files," Draco said walking over to the massive desk that was right beside the recliner, "so I will just owl him and we shall receive those files soon enough. If not, his partner will be hearing from me."  
  
"Who Detective?" Hermione asked looking over the couch as he bent over writing furiously on the parchment.  
  
"Blaise Zabini, Harry Potter's partner," he replied as pulled out another piece of parchment, "and let me inform my old friend the Minister of Magic, Mr. Percy Weasely."  
  
"Old friend? Humph," she laughed, turning away from him.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
They both were laid out on the floor in front of the fire, work had ceased hours ago, and they had just been laying there remembering old times.  
  
"You remember Porto - Novo?" she asked as she took another drink of her tea.  
  
"Hmm, I could never forget that scenic hell-hole, the best place for Peter Pettigrew to go," Draco replied leaning his head on his hand.  
  
"We had fun though," she replied laughing, "remember you tried to teach me _Cor Cordi Seruptionis_?"  
  
Draco erupted in long, deep, laughs that made Hermione tingle all over, "How many animals did we give heart attacks to that day?"  
  
"Too many," Hermione smiled, "I didn't learn that spell until I really needed to I guess."  
  
"When was that?" he asked taking a long sip of his tea.  
  
"The Battle of Madrid, three years later, the day Hagrid died," Hermione replied looking at her hands, "in my fit of tears I cast a _Cor Cordi Seruptioonis _on the Death Eater who AK'ed Hagrid."  
  
"Speaking of old Hogwarts friends, why haven't you asked about them?" Draco asked as she sat up abruptly.  
  
"Because, I'll never see them again. Why learn about them and have my heart yearn for them forever?" she asked looking over into his steel gray eyes.  
  
"Why yearn when you can have them?" he asked sitting up beside her.  
  
Hermione stayed silent for a while before turning her head toward Draco, "You said Blaise Zabini was Harry's partner?"  
  
Draco smiled, his first breakthrough, "Well, they used to be partners. Blaise, at the moment, is working with Lavender Brown-Finch-Fletchley."  
  
"Lavender married Justin?" Hermione asked, her eyes lighting up in delight.  
  
"Yep, they have a child too. Justin is the Herbology teacher at Durmstang and Lavender is probably going to go there and work. Leaving Blaise with Potter again," Draco replied filling their cups full of tea again.  
  
"How is Harry?" she asked quietly.  
  
"Harry is a top notch Auror, living with his long time girlfriend Ginny Weasely in Godric's Hollow, " he replied drinking some tea.  
  
"Is he happy?"   
  
"Yea, you could say so, but there are some people in this world that could make it a little happier for the poor man," Draco replied throwing her a knowing look.  
  
Hermione ignored him, "What about Ron?"  
  
"Ah, Ron, some men say he is the luckiest man since Harry Potter himself," Draco chuckled, not agreeing with that statement at all.  
  
"Why is that?' she asked placing her feet under her.  
  
"Because he is the Chaser for the Chudley's Cannons, who, many say, have had their best year since 1980. Because he is engaged to the very elusive Pansy Parkinson, who is chairperson of the Remus Lupin Foundation," Draco replied laughing at the irony of all that, years ago Pansy would puke in public before looking at a real Werewolf.  
  
"Really? Engaged?" she smiled.  
  
"Really, he even donated to the foundation," he said laughing still. "Now the R.L. Foundation was established about five years ago by Sirius Black. They have some of the best research teams in Europe working on potions to stop transformations. Nevertheless, Pansy is really proud of a product they are working on to stop all transformations forever."  
  
"Wow," Hermione mumbled blinking away tears, she felt she was missing so much.  
  
"Oliver Wood, who is the captain of the US Qudditch world team & member of the Chudley Cannons, married his teammate Cho Chang a couple of months back, the wedding was huge," Draco continued not even looking at her.  
  
"Dean Thomas and Hannah Abbot work with me at the ICWL, both are doing nicely, Hannah is dating Fleur Delacour's brother, and Dean is dating Angelina Johnson's younger sister. Angelina married a broken Fred a year after the War, and Fred closed Weasely's Wizard Wheezes after finding out that his twin was killed after being captured. He's still a nice Weasely but he's not the same some say."  
  
"I didn't know George was killed in the war," Hermione said looking away from the fire.  
  
"He was killed shortly after Voldemort was destroyed," he replied with a sad tone.  
  
"Oh, Detective, may I ask you a personal question?" she asked turning her eyes from him.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"You are an old friend, what is going on in your life?" Hermione asked in a slowly a voice that Draco would have sworn was thick with emotion.   
  
"I live in a Penthouse Apartment on Diagon Alley, my work is my life, my best friend is Blaise, Molly Weasely invites me to dinner ever Solstice, what else is there to know?" Draco replied standing up, sitting his cup on the mantle.  
  
"Why don't you live at the Manor?" Hermione asked looking up at his tall muscular frame.  
  
"I had it renovated for my bride but there wasn't a wedding. Now the whole house reminds me of her and I just don't live there anymore, I can't," he replied as another button on his shirt unbuttoned when he stretched.  
  
"Why not Detective?" she asked looking at the man whom she once loved dearly.  
  
Draco sighed loudly before looking up, "It's late Miss Granger, I think you ought to Floo home."  
  
Hermione stood up about to oblige him but stopped, "Detective why won't you answer me?"  
  
Draco let his father slip into his expression before replying coldly, "Just like it's too painful for you to think about going home, it's too much for me to think about the woman who holds my heart."  
  
"Detective, why haven't you married anyone else? You deserve that," she replied avoiding his Lucius like eyes.  
  
"Because Malfoy's only deserve the best and she is the best, I haven't seen her in ages. However, my love will never falter," Draco replied turning away from her quickly.  
  
"Detective, you act as if we aren't in the same room," Hermione said loudly trying to get attention.  
  
Draco poured himself a glass of Scotch and sat on the couch, tearing open the rest of his shirt, "You don't understand, you're not her, you can't be."  
  
"Why not?" Hermione asked as pieces of hair fell out of his ponytail, framing his face, creating the look of a grief-stricken man over the love he lost.  
  
"I knew her, I don't know you," he whispered as he hung his head and chocked back deep throaty sobs.  
  
Hermione struggled not to reach out for him and realizing he was right she shut her eyes and before jumping into the Floo system whispered, "Goodnight Detective Malfoy."

  
  


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*Nikki* Yep as a Detective it ensures that Draco will be put in grave danger. That's just apart of the job.


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Ordinary Just Won't Do  
Chapter: Chapter 3  
Author name: Brittney  
Author email: Babygyrll16@aol.com  
Category: Romance  
Sub Category: Drama  
Keywords: Hermione Draco Harry Post-Hogwarts D/Hr  
Rating: PG-13  
Summary: (Post-Hogwarts) It's 2007, ten years since the trio left Hogwarts Draco has been assigned to a small town in the USA. His job is to find Harry Potter's only missing friend, Hermione Granger, find out why she didn't return to London after the war, and bring her home ASAP. What happens when he finds her and something more? Will he return her and her secrets? Or will he 'disappear' too?  
DISCLAIMER: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.   
Author notes: I want to thank ALL My reviewers I love all of you! I took the name Isidore from _The Lord of The Rings_ Trilogy.   
  


"Ordinary Just Won't Do"  
  


Ch. 3  
  
Hermione made her way into the _Cooling Cauldron_ hoping her Pepper-Up potion would cure the fatigue that would surely follow her throughout the day. After she had Flooed home, Mr. Sandman had refused to bother her and she had sat up the entire night with a cup of coffee and a mind full of memories.  
  
The friend whose shift she had finished yesterday was wiping off a table right next to the door and greeted her with a warm smile as the door clicked softly behind her.   
  
"Morning Granger," Ella Connor smiled as Hermione tied on an apron.  
  
Hermione looked back up at the girl who had always looked like Angelina Johnson to her. Ella was very much like Angelina, long black hair, a love for Quidditch, and an attitude many would die for. Ella was rumored to be named for a long dead witch singer, who had crossed over to the Muggle world, by the name of Ella Fitzgerald. Yet Hermione had never asked about any blood relation while becoming fast friends with the hyper young lady.  
  
"Morning Ella," Hermione replied as she always did. Hermione always took comfort from Ella calling her, her surname as a greeting.  
  
Ella made her way over to her boss quickly pocketing two galleons for a tip, "Have you heard about the supposedly handsome man who, so boldly, asked to be billed _monthly_ for the Imperial Suite over at the Tavern?"  
  
Hermione struggled not to smile, "Yeah."  
  
"Rumor was that he stopped by here after renting the room," Ella continued as if she hadn't heard Hermione's answer.  
  
"Jaden," Hermione nodded at the youth, who sat the bar reading a book.  
  
The blonde looked up from her book with a smile, "Hermione. Ella, you won't believe this, but I was at work when he came in yesterday."  
  
Ella immediately put her wand in her apron pocket and stood in front of the girl, "What's his name? Is he really as handsome as they said?"  
  
"His name is Draco Xavier Malfoy, son of Lucius Caesar Malfoy the fourteenth! Oh Merlin, he is hot! He has these deep gray eyes, this long, flowing, blond hair, and robes that looked like they were too good to even come out of The Red Arrow! The man just threw me Six galleons, four sickles and 23 knuts as a _tip_!" Jaden gushed excitedly as Hermione struggled not to laugh.  
  
At that Hermione couldn't hold her laughter in any longer and it she was doubled over before long, "Jaden, don't let the long lineage of pureblood Malfoy's fool you. Detective Draco Xavier Malfoy can't do half as much damage as his father. He is rich but his bark is much worse than his bite."  
  
"So you know him huh?" Ella questioned as Hermione tried to turn from them the memories of Draco's endless fan clubs running through her brain.  
  
"Mrs. Hoddies said that he is in town just for you Hermione," Jaden said closing her book.  
  
Hermione rolled her eyes, "Jaden why aren't you at school?"  
  
"It's the holidays, I don't have to be in New Orleans for another two months," Jaden replied smiling, knowing that she was annoying her much older friend.  
  
"So he's here for you Granger? Where do you know this handsome man from? He's not the one you refuse to speak of is he?" Ella questioned as Hermione handed a young man a mug of coffee.  
  
Hermione turned a cold eye back to her best friend of sorts, "He's an old friend from school."  
  
"School?" Jaden question raising an eyebrow, "We didn't even know you attended a _school_."  
  
Ella turned around picking up a tray of mugs, "It's been five years Hermione, there is too much we don't know about you."  
  
Hermione watched her friend sashay to a table to the right of the bar, "I don't want to talk about it."  
  
"I bet grandfather knew," Jaden murmured before asking for a drink.  
  
"Latte or Coffee?" Hermione asked acting as if she hadn't heard Jaden's comment.  
  
"Neither, I want something different, I want an Espresso," Jaden replied as Ella made her way back to the bar.  
  
"Jaden you really want to know what school I went to ten years ago?" Hermione asked sitting the drink in front of the girl who was about the same age as she was when she had first become friends with Draco.  
  
"Yes, I really do," Jaden replied her blue eyes twinkling like Dumbledore's.  
  
"I want to know too," Ella replied leaning on the bar, "because Jaden and I are alumni of New Orleans Institute of Witchcraft & Wizardry. We are always wondering where you got that brain of yours?"  
  
"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry in England," Hermione replied proudly, revealing more of herself than she had in five years.  
  
"You are joking right?" Ella asked dumbfounded, Hogwarts was well known throughout the world, and everyone wished to be invited to Hogwarts.  
  
"No joke ladies you are looking at the Head Girl of Hogwarts from 1997/1998, the smartest witch that has come to Hogwarts many say," a deep voice drawled from behind Jaden.  
  
All three looked over at Draco as he sat beside Jaden and smirked at Hermione, his emotions were back in check, and he could write her off a lot easier at the moment, "Granger, get me a drink please."  
  
Hermione didn't even ask what she just poured a cup of coffee introducing her friends as she sat it in front of him, "Detective these are my friends Jaden Simpson, who you've met, and Ella Connor."  
  
"Nice to met you ladies," Draco smiled charmingly. "I see Miss Granger here, has never told you of her greatest years."  
  
"Did you know Harry Potter? We have only tales and Wizarding photos of him here, but my grandfather met him once, while at a pub in England. I was only six when the war started so I never got to go to Europe with grandfather," Jaden rambled to Draco, sticking a stray piece of bouncy blond hair behind her ear.  
  
"Know Harry Potter?" Draco laughed taking a long sip of his black coffee. "Didn't she tell you?"  
  
Ella served a couple as she asked, "Tell us what?"  
  
"Detective," Hermione warned cleaning up the other side of the bar.  
  
"I guess there are something's she thought she was better of with you all not knowing," Draco shrugged as if he didn't know why she would keep anything to herself about her past. However, he did know, she wanted people to think nothing of her, but Draco knew if anyone would believe she was alive people were going to have to whisper.  
  
"What shouldn't we know Mr. Malfoy?" Jaden asked looking over at the man who obviously knew how to tick Hermione off.  
  
Ella put her hand on her hip as she stood next her friend, "Now Granger, it was a simple question! Did you or did you not know Harry Potter? Tell the girl, it's not as if it could get you killed."  
  
Draco threw a smug look over at Hermione who whispered, "If you only knew."  
  
"Tell them Miss Granger, they're American, they can't have known too much about Potter's adolescence," Draco drawled as if he were omniscient.  
  
"Detective if you don't shut your mouth soon, you will be treated a physical contact that I have not shared with you in far too many years," Hermione threatened through clenched teeth. "Now, Jaden, Harry and I were best friends for many years, and the man sitting next to you was his greatest enemy at Hogwarts."  
  
"_His_, greatest enemy? What about you? Did you hate him too?" Ella asked crossing her arms over her chest directing another waitress to her table.  
  
Hermione looked at Draco, she could remember so many moments when people would ask her the exact question, and she had only one answer, "Love at first sight is easy to understand. It's when two people have been looking at each other for years that it becomes a miracle. You can't hate someone whom your heart is determined to love."   
  
"We have a history that even the Boy-Who-Lived couldn't stop," Draco smirked at her answer, one he had heard her give so often.  
  
"A history that you have never spoken of Granger?" Ella demanded raising both eyebrows.  
  
"It's much too complicated," Hermione replied trying to dodge the eyes that were staring at her.  
  
"Too complicated I must say," Draco drawled pulling himself off the stool and sitting five sickles and 8 knuts on the bar, "I must go, I have some shopping to accomplish. I just stopped by to tell you, Miss Granger, that an unexpected friend came through last night and you might want to see the results. Good day ladies."  
  
Hermione watched with dazed eyes as he sauntered out of the door without even a look back. How did he go from emotional to cold and uncaring? Still, something lingered in his voice that had drawn her to him eleven years ago in their sixth year. His voice always betrayed him.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Hermione walked out of the Cooling Cauldron quite tired of her friends questions. Jaden had kept her seat throughout the day and Ella had continued to work yet paused when she had a question to throw at Hermione. Now Hermione was regretting never telling them much about herself.  
  
She was walking toward Miriam Hoddies shop when she noticed Draco walking into The Red Arrow, the best place to purchase robes in Waving Wands. So instead she walked over to the whitewashed building and made her way in, noticing his look of triumph as he found a thin green robe much like the one he wore yesterday.  
  
She stood beside a rack of blue robes watching him move, she couldn't remember the last time she had just stood and watched him. He looked older, his long blond hair looked a few steps beside gray hair, his eyes didn't gleam like they use to, and he had a tan. She wished she could ask him how that happened, during the war she could only remember three instances in which he actually tanned.   
  
Hermione almost smiled, Palau brought back the greatest memory she would ever have, the night she lost her innocence. That was also the night he had proposed. He had gotten down on one knee and confessed his heart to her. Who was she to refuse him? However, deep down she knew that refusing him was out of the question, at the time, she was too deep to let go.  
  
"Are you admiring my good taste in robes or are you just watching me?" Draco asked not even glancing back at her. His eyes were trained on the robes in front of him.  
  
"Neither, I was just waiting for you to come out of your moment of vanity so I could speak to you," Hermione replied clearing her mind of the fleeting memories.  
  
"You want to speak with me? I would think after this morning the only thing on your mind would be slapping me," Draco drawled almost coldly, the edge in his voice covering up any other emotion he could possibly feel.  
  
"Don't tempt me," she grumbled moving toward him, "I am just interested in the information you said you have."  
  
"Ah, yes, I am rather busy at the moment though. Why don't we meet later, so you may go home and relax," he replied almost distractedly, his eyes washing over the deep black robes with the long formal like tails.  
  
"I agree on meeting you somewhere but relaxing is not on my priority list at the moment." Hermione said taking the formal robes from his hands and sitting it back on the rack, "Those robes are a bit warm, even for dinner in the Corner Tavern Hall."  
  
Draco didn't reply, his mother's sense of fashion had just over taken his senses and he had spotted an azure dress robe that was screaming to be worn, "Miss Granger, why don't we meet for dinner at the Corner Tavern and we can discuss the information?"  
  
"Detective I haven't bought dress robes since that Sixth year Christmas Ball," Hermione objected, "and I certainly cannot go to dinner at the Corner Tavern in anything but dress robes."  
  
"We are in a robe shop Granger, " Draco pointed out making his way over to the long beautiful robe hanging from a gold rack on the wall.   
  
Hermione shook her head following him, "Can't we meet at the Golden Hall and talk over a Butterbeer?"  
  
"No, I haven't had a decent meal in weeks. Months are more like it. I want to eat and talk about this information, I want you to wear this robe," he replied pulling the robe of the hanger and inspecting it like his father used inspect Narcissa's ball robes. Making sure it fit her, not only in size, but in color and personality.  
  
Hermione's mouth fell open, "Detective Malfoy, I don't have that kind of money! That's a Blake Desenhador Da Veste original!"  
  
"You aren't going to buy it Miss Granger, I am," Draco replied looking at the price tag, to him money was no object.  
  
"Detective, that robe has got to be too much for a gift!" she objected. She never liked anyone spending a lot of money on her, and the robe cost 186 galleons, 11 sickles and eight knuts the equivalent of 900 US dollars.  
  
"Money does not matter to a Malfoy, and you will wear that robe, as a gift tonight. Why don't you try it on, just so we can make adjustments," Draco said turning the dress over to her.  
  
At that a lady walked over to them with a smile, "No need to try it on, I can make adjustments without all that."  
  
"Good, go on, I'll still be here when you are finished," he smiled turning away from her.  
  
Hermione followed the woman to the back of the shop standing still, with her arms in the air, as the woman murmured spells that directed the measuring tape to measure her. All the while Hermione thought about his cold ways toward her yet he was willing to buy an expensive dress for her.   
  
"He is a handsome man, Miss. Are you two engaged? I mean it's obvious in the looks he throws you, yet his expression stays strong, stern, and royal like," the lady, who was now jotting her measurements down, said smiling.  
  
"No," Hermione whispered, shaking back a memory, "we are just friends."  
  
"A friend that gives such expensive presents! It must be nice," the lady smiled as the tape dropped to the floor.  
  
"So when do I pick the dress up?" Hermione asked looking at the red-haired witch for the first time since she spoke.  
  
"You don't, it seems that Mr. Desenhador Da Veste had you in mind when he was designing this dress, it is perfect for you," she replied leading Hermione out of the room and back to the counter.  
  
Draco was leaning against the counter waiting for them, "How did the fitting go?"  
  
Hermione couldn't even bring herself to look at him, her past was living right before her eyes, and she could barely stand it, "Fine."  
  
"The dress is 186 galleons, 11 sickles and eight knuts," the dressmaker said putting the dress in a satin bag with the hanger coming from the top.  
  
"Bill me, at Gringotts Bank in Diagon Alley in London, England. The name is Draco Malfoy," Draco replied slowly as the witch wrote it down.  
  
"You're the Heir of the Malfoy Millions? Lucius Caesar Malfoy the thirteenth's grandson?" the dressmaker eye's widened in surprise, "I should have known! You are the spitting image of him and his son!"  
  
"You knew my grandfather?" Draco asked interested, wondering how this American woman would know his grandfather.  
  
"Knew him? I was his favorite during Ball season. He could dance a lady off her feet! There isn't a prominent Wizarding family in the South who doesn't know the elder generation of Malfoy's," she spoke proudly remember the days of old with a fleeting smile.  
  
"What family are you from Madame?" he asked, searching his memory for any mention of a ball from his father.  
  
"The Smythe's, we are an old family who originated in England, my grandfather was your great-grandfather's best friend," she spoke with pride that all Pureblood families did.  
  
"You look to be too young to dance with my grandfather. Did you ever dance with my father?" Draco asked noticing Hermione's sighs or annoyed air.  
  
"I started dancing with your grandfather when I just a girl, about 13, he was over thirty. I never much liked his son and his son never really liked me," the dressmaker spoke as if Lucius were standing right in front of her. "Really when he and his wife first visited after their marriage I felt rather sorry for her."  
  
Draco chuckled, many felt sorry for his mother, the moment she said she had dance with his grandfather she struck a cord. There was a story in the Malfoy family that one of the men had been in love with a young girl. And he refused to dance with another, he wanted to leave his wife to marry the girl but the girl's father refused to allow his daughter to be put to shame like that. Especially with the man supposedly being the girl's father's closest friend.  
  
Draco looked up at the woman who strained his grandparent's relationship, "Are you Jane Smythe?"  
  
"I am," she replied smiling. Now for the first time, Draco was staring in the face of the woman that his father often raved and ranted about his father being idiotically enslaved by. Draco's grandfather had been in love with this woman his whole adult life and his father had blamed her for his grandfather wanting to be buried on her grounds instead of the Malfoy Vault with his wife.  
  
"You were in love with my grandfather?" Draco whispered as things he used to hear when spying on his parents came back to him.  
  
At that Jane seemed to tense, "I do not know how it happened, it just did, he was always at Isidore, and he always seemed to shoo my would be suitors away."  
  
"Yes, Isidore, your home, where he is buried. I shall come out there someday and make the Malfoy's friendship with the Smythe's once more," Draco replied as he prepared to leave the shop.  
  
"That would be nice, good-day," Jane Smythe said turning and disappearing into the back of her shop.  
  
"Detective, why did you think I wanted to stand there and listen to your conversation about the anarchy that exist inside Pureblood families?" Hermione demanded as they exited the shop.  
  
Draco just smiled handing her the dress robe, "Be at the Corner Tavern at six, we wouldn't want you to be late."  
  
"Detective!" Hermione called as he made his way over to The Ivy Bush, a mediwizard shop.  
  
"Yes, Miss Granger?" Draco asked turning around to face her.  
  
"Thank you for the lovely dress," she smiled genuinely trying to break some kind of common ground between them.  
  
"That's what I like to hear," he drawled charmingly, "you are more than welcome."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Hermione walked out of the cab running her fingers down the perfect blue robes that now hugged her figure. She was nervous. It was one thing to meet in her living room and even in his hotel room. This was too much like a date for her to handle. Even in the beginning they didn't 'date,' they never took trips to Hogsmeade on Saturdays, they didn't do the things normal teenage couples would have. The closest they ever got to that was attending the Christmas Ball in their sixth year together.  
  
All in all she was inexperienced with this kind of thing. However, she knew that Draco would show the entire world his society skills and somehow make it seem that she was of the same caliber. She sighed loudly, it brought back another memory when his mother invited them to a Society Ball and Draco made her seem as though she had more 'training' than she really then. And it was at that moment when she found out a reality that had changed her decisions to this day. It was that day when she figured out that Draco was too good for the likes of her. She believed that they were equals in ability, intelligence, but when it came to out right, who was better, Draco won in her eyes, and not because of his _pureblood_.   
  
But that was something she had never told Draco, the reason it was so easy for her to walk away from their engagement, was because in all honesty she believed that after a while Draco would get tired of his 'simple' wife.  
  
"Time to face reality," Hermione whispered to herself as she entered the Corner Tavern.  
  
The moment the door clicked behind her, she spotted him, looking quite regal in his jet black robes. She tried not to smile as she walked over to him, throwing a smile at Jaden, then linking her arm with his.  
  
"You look amazing, Miss Granger," Draco whispered as the House-elf opened the Dinner Hall doors for them.  
  
Hermione looked over at him as they entered the full Hall and noticed his face was cool, calm, and collected. Just as every other Malfoy before him but this Malfoy was different, when it was just you and him, the mask would come down.  
  
"Thank you Detective," she replied softly as the House-elf directed them to a table.   
  
Draco pulled the chair out for her before sitting himself in front of her, "How do you like this place?"  
  
"I love it, it's beautiful Detective," Hermione replied looking around at the age old paintings and collectibles.   
  
"You look as if you belong here," he smiled handing the elf the menu," I want the Creole Special and a bottle of your best champagne preferably French mid 1st century."  
  
Hermione handed the elf the menu, "I'll have the same thank you."  
  
"Now," Draco sighed making two thick folders appear, "to business."  
  
"Yes, what do you have here?" she asked as the elf poured them a class of the almost 2000 year old wine.  
  
"I have the track record of four very bad men and a sure fire way to get evidence against them in trying to kill you," Draco smiled opening a folder slowly.  
  
"Without putting you in danger?" she questioned taking a short sip of the wine.  
  
"Now that is not a guarantee," he replied shrugging lightly, "but the only way I won't be in danger is if this doesn't leak. And you know the Ministry, this will leak."  
  
Hermione shook her head defiantly, "Then this is not a plan I want any part of if it's going to get you killed or worse."  
  
"Look Granger," Draco replied sharply, bringing his forceful gray eyes toward her, "This is the only way to go without killing YOU! It's not like you care whether I live or die, so it's best if I die giving you freedom!"  
  
Hermione's mouth was open and her blood pressure was rising, those few words opened a Pandora's box that nothing else had. She struggled to keep her voice low and ladylike, "How dare you insinuate that I don't care! Why do you think I ran five years ago? Not for Harry, he has always taken care of himself, not for Ron, he'd be fine; not for my parents, they'd been dead since the year the war began! I ran for you, Detective, and you only! When those men vowed to kill me and the people I love, I could only think of you, you, Detective. I loved you more than I loved myself! An expression many didn't understand and one that I still live by. God, Detective do you realize that I, bookworm Granger, never lived before your love? So don't, ever try to tell me, I don't care!"  
  
"I don't need protection from those men," Draco whispered drinking the last of his wine.  
  
She sighed loudly, forcing back tears, "You need protection from me."  
  
"From you?" Draco asked his eyes turning to small slits, "That's a comment we will discuss later. Eat, please."  
  
They ate in silence, Hermione was holding back tears from wounds she had acquired long ago, and Draco was thinking. His mind wouldn't let him forget her words, they were bouncing off the walls of his brain, forcing him to remember.  
  
"I have several Auror documents that state crimes committed by these men, Blaise said several of them are facing Azkaban for war time crimes," Draco said as the elf poured him another drink and cleared his dishes.  
  
"None of them are clean?" Hermione asked as the elf did the same for her.  
  
"None of them, surprisingly enough, each of them have something on their record," Draco replied opening the top folder. "Pansy's cousin should be in Azkaban already for using an AK before War times began, he killed an old lady. But the Rosier & Parkinson millions must have saved him."  
  
Hermione sighed loudly sitting her glass on the table, "Detective, I can't seem to concentrate on the matter at hand."  
  
"OK," Draco replied sending the folders away with a wave of his wand, "then lets dance."  
  
Hermione shook her head in refusal, "No, Detective, I haven't danced since your mother's party ten years ago."  
  
Draco stood beside her, his hand in hers, slowly pulling her up, "Then it's about time you did it again."  
  
Hermione was slowly pulled to her feet, she tried to refuse as Draco wrapped his arms around her and lead her onto the floor, "Draco, please I don't feel comfortable."  
  
"What did you say?" he asked staring down at her with more love than he thought he'd ever understand.  
  
"I said I don't feel comfortable," she repeated, keeping up with him better than she imagined she could've.  
  
"Not that, you said my name, it's a welcomed changed from the cold Detective," Draco smiled slyly, it took her back again, and she again she closed herself off.  
  
"Please," she begged as they continued to waltz, "Detective, I am not made for this."  
  
"My mother seemed to think you were," he replied his smile gone, "you dance beautifully."  
  
"I am not the woman you believe me to be Detective," Hermione whispered making him halt abruptly.  
  
"Then who are you?" he asked letting her go and walking toward their table.  
  
"I -- don't know, I really don't. Goodnight," she replied hurriedly turning toward the Dinner Hall doors leaving Draco watching her and seething.  
  
"Granger," Draco said as he caught up with her.  
  
"What?" she asked turning around quickly, she needed to run before it all came back.  
  
"I need a break from this, owl me when you are ready to conduct business," Draco drawled coolly, in a tone that gave Hermione goose bumps.  
  
Hermione just closed her eyes tightly, concealing two stray tears that fell down her cheek as she walked outside and hailed a carriage for the ride home.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
*leonsalanna* - An AK is an Unforgivable Curse by the name of Avada Kedavra. LOL I'm sorry  
  
*FreeZze Mint* - I hate to think you cry everytime you read my story soo Ima try to make it a little less sad and depressing JUST FOR YOU!  
  
*HarryPotterWanter* - You are quite right about not knowing how Hermione feels about Draco's obvious heartache. But that's part of the plot, she has her own POV on things, and we will get to the bottom of her true feelings. Is she still in love or does she just feel guilty? But to discover if she really understands how much he loves her we have to understand how she felt about him and their relationship at one time. Like at the Battle of Mt. Carleton he didn't want to be alive if she died, we have to wonder does she know that. HMM I am the writer and I should know but right now I'm pondering a great many a things. But thanks for the awesome review.  
  
*B-chan and Syaorons angel* - Thank you for your review and your box of compliments you made my day! And I will email you when I update.


	4. Chapter 4

Title: Ordinary Just Won't Do

Chapter: Chapter 4

Author name: Brittney

Author email: Babygyrll16@aol.com

Category: Romance

Sub Category: Drama

Keywords: Hermione Draco Harry Ron D/Hr

Rating: PG-13

Summary: (Post-Hogwarts) It's 2007, ten years since the trio left Hogwarts Draco has been assigned to a small town in the USA. His job is to find Harry Potter's only missing friend, Hermione Granger, find out why she didn't return to London after the war, and bring her home ASAP. What happens when he finds her and something more? Will he return her and her secrets? Or will he 'disappear' too?

DISCLAIMER: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. 

Author notes: Crispy Chunky Chocolate Cake Owls are of MY imagination you take it and I hurt you! *glares evily* *Smacks lips* Plus they are sooo good! The conversation between Draco & Blaise came from a similar conversation my two guy friends had. It was at that moment I figured out guys are twisted. I cried when I wrote the letter so I hope no one else cries.

  


"Ordinary Just Won't Do"

  
  


Ch. 4

  


+Four Weeks Later+

  


Draco was furious. He had paced the floor of his room continuously for the first couple days. Then he started working out, then he started throwing things, and now four weeks after the horrid dinner date he was left with a deep sense of failure.

  


He was out, in his thick England robes, looking around the small town deciding that he rather liked it. It reminded him of a Muggle village near the Manor. The town was constantly baked by sun unlike England, which was lucky to get three full days of sunshine.

  


Still, not even the golden rays could cheer Draco up. She had totally broken him down and took him back to a time he wanted to forget. The moment Hermione walked out of that Dining Hall she took him back five years to an angry, brokenhearted, wizard who was a hazard to himself.

  


Five years ago, when Hermione had disappeared, Draco had dug a hole inside himself. No one, except his mother, could understand the importance of his loss. He thought he had lost his world, his savior, his reason for not being in Azkaban or dead with his father. No one understood how one 'death' out of millions could affect him like it did. 

  


Narcissa had been there for her son, just like a good mother should be, but it was at an even greater magnitude than her own loss. Losing her husband was only a small personal loss but years ago she had lost a secret love about which only her son and his fiancé had known. However, her son's fiancé being 'dead' evoked more emotion out of him in one day than losing her husband and lover, ever had in her.

  


Draco made his way into Miriam Hoddies shop, with a scowl on his face, "A Crispy Chunky Chocolate Cake Owl."

  


"With Ice cream or without?" Miriam asked smiling at the young man who was standing in front of her counter scowling at nothing.

  


"With," he replied watching the Owl shape cake come floating toward him.

  


Miriam smiled at him, she could see right through him, "For you eight knuts."

  


"Just eight knuts?" he asked his eyes widening in surprise.

  


"Yes, sir, I hope it helps," she smiled as handed her the coins and started toward the door.

  


"Helps what?" Draco asked turning halfway around to look at her.

  


"No need for me to say what you already know but remember, tomorrow is always another day," Mrs. Hoddies replied her ice blue eyes taking on a faint glow and Draco could swear he could hear her voice in his head.

  


"Thanks, have a nice day," Draco mumbled as he stumbled out into the Louisiana heat.

  


Before he knew it, a second body was walking beside him, "Morning Mr. Malfoy."

  


Draco looked over at the petite young woman, not even attempting to smile, "Morning."

  


"How have you been? It's been awhile since I've seen you," Ella asked as she fell in step with the much taller man.

  


"Fine, I'm fine," Draco replied biting the head off his Owl.

  


Ella looked up at the man, her eyes looking over his disguise, "You don't seem fine. Have you spoken to Hermione lately? She took sick leave from work last week and I haven't seen her lately, I've Owled her but I didn't get a reply."

  


"Why would I know anything about Hermione?" he asked biting the wings off the Owl Cake.

  


"I thought you were old friends," Ella replied as they crossed a busy street.

  


"You thought wrong, maybe I'm more of a friend to her than she is to me. I don't know where she is, I haven't heard from her in a month," Draco replied finishing off the snack.

  


"So her excuse about a cold was a lie huh?" Ella smiled, she knew that already she had been to visit her friend earlier and it wasn't a pretty sight.

  


"Humph, a lot of things said by Hermione have come back to me as just a lie," he mumbled still looking straight ahead, his eyes narrow slits, and his hair flying behind him. At that moment he was Lucius Malfoy for the first time in a long time. 

  


"Hermione told me, a lot, well, everything," Ella replied as they stopped at a café with tables outside and sat down.

  


"She told you everything huh?" Draco asked, raising an eyebrow.

  


"Everything, from those men to everything about you," she whispered ordering a Chocolate Butterbeer.

  


"Mmm, so you know what happened two weeks ago?" he asked trying to look startled, or at least surprised.

  


"Stop trying to act so startled, right now you look as though a Cruciatus couldn't move you," she smiled as the waiter sat a Butterbeer in front of each of them.

  


"I've been through plenty and I'm pretty sure they couldn't make me flinch at this point," Draco mumbled drowning himself in his alcoholic Butterbeer.

  


Ella smirked at the sarcasm that just dripped from his voice, "You think none of this has affected who Hermione is?"

  


"I didn't say that. Don't you think all of this has changed me?" Draco asked as if the young woman would know.

  


"I wouldn't know that, I'm not a friend from way back. But I do know that all of this is hurting both of you," she replied finishing her Butterbeer.

  


Draco didn't reply right off, he stood up, laying some galleons on the table, and said, "My treat. Look I have a visitor coming and I need to go greet him, so I'll see you later."

  


"Yea later," Ella replied watching him cross the street but stopped him before he walked too far.

  


"What?" Draco asked turning toward the woman who had called his name.

  


Ella stayed silent for a moment before pulling him into a hug whispering, "The best thing about the future is that it comes only one day at a time."

  


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  


Draco nodded toward Mrs. Hoddies as he headed for the back Hallway at which Blaise would be arriving. Before he reached it, a deep voice reached his ears.

  


"Draco!" Blaise smiled walking toward his friend. His robes thin and perfect for the heat.

  


For the first time that day Draco smiled, "Blaise, how are you?"

  


"I'm cool, I should be asking you that man. Your letter sounded bad," Blaise replied as they walked back out into the heat.

  


"Yea, well, she's not who she used to be," Draco replied as they walked down the street.

  


"Harry really wanted to come but I told him if you were having a hard time imagine the experience he'd go through," Blaise replied as Draco guided them to a bar that he had discovered right after that dinner date from hell.

  


Blaise stepped into the dark bar sitting himself right in front of the bartender, "Alcoholic Butterbeer, flavorless."

  


Draco sat next to him thinking his decision over, "Just Whiskey."

  


Blaise looked at his best friend with a raised eyebrow, "You haven't drunk Whiskey since . . . ya know. It's that bad?"

  


Draco drank Whiskey almost nonstop when Hermione had 'died,' no one could tell he was drowning in his drink until the day he couldn't get up and they took him to St. Mungo's thinking he had OD'ed on a potion but it was just alcohol poisoning. Everyone had tried to stop him from drinking for good but no one could, so they just took comfort in his 'occasional' indulgence, "It's that bad."

  


"How much have you drunk Drake?" Blaise asked as the Bartender sat their drinks in front of them.

  


"Not much, I haven't been here since that night," Draco replied downing half his glass.

  


"So tell me what happened?" his best friend asked, reaching over and lightly pushing the glass away from Draco's hands.

  


"That morning I found out her friends didn't know anything about her, for some reason that didn't sit right with me. I didn't say anything, then later I bought her this robe that almost cost me 187 galleons for dinner. We then proceed to have an argument over dinner, eat silently, then we try dancing. Which I had to force her to do. Then in the middle of the dancing she says she's not the woman I believe she is and then tells me she doesn't know who she is," Draco replied reaching out to savor the burning taste of Whiskey going down his throat.

  


"Draco you can't keep doing this," Blaise replied turning toward his blonde companion.

  


"Doing what?" Draco asked as the Bartender filled their glasses again.

  


"Letting her tear you to pieces. You need to step back and let her go," Blaise said placing a hand on his full glass but not drinking out of it.

  


"Don't you think I've tried?" he mumbled again turning his glass up this time finishing with a loud sigh.

  


"I know you have but this time you have to do your job. Get these criminals off her back, ask her to return to England, if she refuses you come home and live your life. You need to take your life back Drake," Blaise replied matter-of-factly, waving the returning Bartender away.

  


"Has it leaked yet?" Draco asked pointing a finger at the Bartender then at his glass.

  


"It leaked a month ago, when I sent you those files. The whole wizarding world is in an uproar, Hermione Granger Alive & Kicking has been printed in more than fifty different languages. Harry showed me a French Headline that was the entire paper for one day, it's big news, hell, you're big news," Blaise replied watching his friend down his third glass of Whiskey.

  


"I love her Blaise and she thinks it's a crime! She treats me like some second rate stranger she met last summer at a Muggle Barn Dance," Draco mumbled angrily, as the Bartender poured him another glass.

  


"Then leave her, you are better than this! It's been five years, if she doesn't want you, her loss! Merlin, Draco I can remember the days when you changed girls more than you changed underwear. Think of Hermione as just another conquest, think of her like Pansy, Tracey, Sarah, Chloe, Padma, and all the rest. She's_ just _a girl," Blaise tried to reason, taking the cue from his friend and finishing his glass.

  


"Just a girl? Just a girl? Not to me, she left the ranks of them years ago," Draco mumbled holding up the glass in front of his face, he was holding his liquor well but the emotion was seeping out between sips.

  


"She is NOW Draco, she doesn't care about you any more so why should you care about her? Sure she saved your life in more than one way but just be grateful no need to waste your life on her," Blaise replied downing his last glass as he asked the Bartender not to serve his friend anymore.

  


As the Bartender picked up their glasses Draco straightened up and he became the vision of Lucius that he had been earlier, "You are quite right, she is just another Muggle born and I will do my job and return home."

  


Blaise smiled as they paid and stepped back outside, "That's my boy always the positive one."

  


"Yes, yes, always positive," Draco mumbled as they walked toward the hotel.

  


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  


The moment the men walked into Draco's room an Owl met them. She was sitting on the windowsill staring at Draco.

  


"Oh a letter," Draco drawled as he pulled the letter from the Owl.

  


"Who is it from?" Blaise asked as he started a fire, it maybe hot but they were still English and having a fire was just customary.

  


"Hermione," Draco whispered as he opened the letter.

  


_Dear Detective Malfoy,_

_ I am writing you for several reasons. Reasons in which I'll never be able to completely explain. I feel like I owe you so much Draco, instances I owe you my life, I owe my strength, I owe you my love. But I don't want to owe you anything! Let alone my love! I want to give you my love, not owe it to you by default. I wish I could explain this whole mess away, I know you can, and will, protect me. Still, there is nothing to protect you Draco and I've been doing it for five years. Now you are here after years of praying to God: "Please give keep him safe while he's searching for me, please keep my love in him, please lead him to me God. Please let him find me." Now I am angry with myself for acting like we never were when you were all I had. _

_ Now there is something you need to know. I ran because of you. Draco, you need to live, without me. You need to see things without me, and you need to truly find the love of your life. It hurts to say this but Draco I'm not the woman for you. I can't live loving you another minute without saying this. Lucius was right, I'll never be a Malfoy, I'll never be a socialite like you. I'll never be as good as you and though I'll never be able to look you in the eye and tell you I don't love you, Draco you need to let me go._

_ I don't know what you have been through these last five years but if I could take back any hurt and any pain that I've brought you. I would. I would take it all away from you in a nanosecond. I wish I could hear what you've been through but it's best to keep the past in the past. It's best to let me lie there dead in your heart, it's best this way, you deserve better. Because what we had was just a momentary thing, it was crucial at that moment, but it couldn't possibly last forever. After five years I've put it all into one plain and simple sentence._

_ When all you've ever wanted is to be loved, it's too easy to become a victim of misplaced trust._

_ Draco, dearest, I'm so sorry for taking advantage of you, I really am, I wish you all the luck. I am ready to begin work again but I will not be returning home. See you tomorrow._

  


_ All my love,_

_ Hermione M. Granger_

  


Draco was stunned, she hadn't said that many words to him since he'd arrived. She had been wrong, she was the woman he thought she was, because only his Hermione could write a letter like this and honestly believe it.

  


"Draco? Draco you OK?" Blaise asked walking over to his seriously pale and stunned looking friend.

  


"She . . . she . . . she," Draco mumbled tears in his eyes, she did think she was good enough. She ran because of him? He was dumbfounded and confused.

  


Blaise read the letter with a raised eyebrow, when he finished he looked at his friend, "Leave it to Hermione to make me waste a perfectly good pep talk."

  


"What?" Draco asked looking over at his dark-haired friend who looked as surprised as he was confused.

  


"She's so wrong, and yet she doesn't even see it, you two are supposed to be together. Drake, I was wrong, she's not _just_ a girl. She's special Draco and you would be a fool to let her go," Blaise replied handing his friend the letter, laying a sympathetic hand on his shoulder.

  


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  


*purpleballerynna* - The past is painful for both of them because of insecurities and feelings they developed during that time. It was painful because of the War and many other things. But I'm just going to try to go deeper until we all *INCLUDING MYSELF* can see what lies between the lines.

  


*HarryPotterWanter* - I love your reviews they are always so long! Hermione wants to be almost invisible in her new life so instead of telling anyone about her past she keeps it to herself. Sometimes I think Hermione is scared of someone else 'finding her' rather than the men killing her. *If you want a clue to Hermione's feelings about the Detective read that sentence over.* Poor Draco's in the dark, he thinks their past was perfect and the only reason she ran was those men but I wonder how he's going to take the truth because we all know that Hermione could have found a way to get rid of those men in England. Now don't we? In Canon and a lot of Fanon Hermione is portrayed as ultimately confident but I wanted to show a side of her we hardly see, her insecure side, and this how she deals with her insecurity about Draco, being nonchalant and aloof toward him.


	5. Chapter 5

Title: Ordinary Just Won't Do

Chapter: Chapter 5

Author name: Brittney

Author email: Babygyrll16@aol.com

Category: Romance

Sub Category: Drama

Keywords: Hermione Draco Harry Ron D/Hr

Rating: PG-13

Summary: (Post-Hogwarts) It's 2007, ten years since the trio left Hogwarts Draco has been assigned to a small town in the USA. His job is to find Harry Potter's only missing friend, Hermione Granger, find out why she didn't return to London after the war, and bring her home ASAP. What happens when he finds her and something more? Will he return her and her secrets? Or will he 'disappear' too?

DISCLAIMER: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. 

Author notes: This is suggestive chapter so if you are not the type to joke about sex don't read the memories. Thank you to all my readers, reviewers, and lurkers. I appreciate you all! 

  


"Ordinary Just Won't Do"

  
  


Ch. 5

  


Hermione sat her cup of coffee on the table beside her, she was tired of crying, tired of screaming at herself, and tired of lying. She felt like the past month had been nothing but lies. How dare she act as if Draco were anything but her heart?

  


Still, that night at dinner she had been reminded of the way they had gotten together. It was because of some Muggles studies class, which Draco had been forced to sign up for by his father, as a 'punishment.' Yet Draco wasn't too unhappy about it since Blaise had decided to take it as an Elective that year. Hermione, being who she was, decided to take because by her sixth year Electives, for her, were being far and few between.

  


They had spent most of their year scowling and sneering at each other. Though they ignored each other at times, they were always aware of the other. When the Professor assigned partners for a "Muggle Period Project" they had been mortified yet elated to discover they were each others partners.

  


After weeks of working together they had gotten to know each other as more than a Know-it-all and a Prick. Draco was the one who took the biggest, and first, step. Asking her to the Christmas Ball that year, a scandal Hogwarts didn't forget until Graduation.

  


_Draco walked over to their table, sat his books down, and just stared at her. He had been contemplating a decision for a couple of months now, and he still wasn't quite sure but he knew he didn't have time to sit on it any longer._

  


_ Hermione looked up from her book, "Victorian Muggle Society," with a smile, "Why are you staring at me?"_

  


_ "Because," he replied vaguely, his decision, or rather the lack of one, was looming over his head._

  


_ She stuck a finger in her book, "Because what?"_

  


_ "Because I'm thinking about you," Draco whispered catching her off guard, he rarely said things like that but she was starting to get used to them._

  


_ "Why?" Hermione asked, the smile off her face, even after the kiss they shared a couple of weeks ago she still didn't know what to think of him._

  


_ 'Can't I think about the girl I like?" he asked smirking as he saw her face pale._

  


_ Hermione blinked rapidly looking back at the book, "You know I found something perfect for our presentation. It's about the variety of social circles in the Victorian days of the Muggle world."_

  


_ "Don't do that," Draco whispered, if Draco hated one thing, it was someone changing the subject. He always hated being ignored, and changing the subject was part of it. He always believed it made already uncomfortable, situations into even more uncomfortable situations._

  


_ "They were very extensive, like Mediwizards who studied only on the Killing Curses usually stayed together. Well, Muggle Doctors who specified in Heart surgery or Cardiology usually made rounds in the same social circles," Hermione continued, ignoring his obvious displeasure._

  


_ Draco flinched, "Stop changing the subject. Please, Hermione, I don't care whom dead Muggles considered their friends. I only care about whom you are intending to take to the Christmas Ball."_

  


_ "No one. I wasn't planning on attending," she replied finally looking back up into the gray eyes that were glued to her._

  


_ "Well, then you will accompany me to the Ball. Won't you?" Draco asked, really he didn't ask, but he was so nervous and she was so shocked neither noticed._

  


_ Hermione looked at him quietly, "Are you serious?"_

  


_ "As serious as I can be," he replied biting on his bottom lip nervously._

  


_ "Sure, it'll be fun," she whispered, as a small smile appeared._

  


The morning after the ball, when classes resumed, the halls were filled with gossip. Everyone was talking about everyone else and everyone else was talking about Hermione Granger & Draco Malfoy.

_Just as Hermione stepped out of Gryffindor Tower, she heard the whispers and the rumors._

  


_ "I heard they were good friends."_

  


_ "I heard he kissed her."_

  


_ "I heard it was all a plot to get to Harry Potter."_

  


_ "I heard it was just a horrible bet he lost."_

  


_ "Well, I heard, from a very reliable source in the Slytherin Common room that he is in love with the Mudblood."_

  


_ "Well, I heard, she had a crush on him and asked him to the ball and he took pity on her."_

  


_ "Well, I heard, Hermione lost a bet to Ron & Harry and had to take the furry Ferret to the Ball."_

  


_ "I heard, from a very reliable source in the Gryffindor Tower that she is in love with Prat."_

  


_ "I heard that they made love by the lake last night."_

  


_ "I heard he proposed."_

  


_ "I heard she accepted."_

  


_ "I heard he tried to kill her."_

  


_ "I heard she tried to kill him."_

  


_ "I heard his father threatened to kill BOTH of them."_

  


_ "No, I heard He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named want's them to breed."_

  


_ "Eww, I heard that she was really a Pureblood."_

  


_ "I heard he was really a Mudblood."_

  


_ "I heard she was pregnant with his baby."_

  


_ "I heard he is really her distant cousin."_

  


_ "If they were cousins then they wouldn't have kissed."_

  


_ "I mean distant like his mother's, sister's, daughter's, son is her stepbrother's, cousin's, aunt."_

  


_ "I heard she is being resorted into Slytherin."_

  


_ "I heard he was becoming a Hufflepuff or something."_

  


_ "I heard she was really Lucius Malfoy's long lost daughter."_

  


_ "If they are brother and sister, they couldn't have slept together."_

  


_ "Stranger things have happened in the Malfoy family."_

  


_ "How right you are but I heard she was He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's heir."_

  


_ "I heard he was ordered to bed her because of some Christmas Ritual the Death Eaters do." _

  


_"I heard that her date was just an experiment."_

  


_ "I heard he took her into the Forbidden Forest and got kinky with her."_

  


_ "I heard they snogged all night at the Astronomy Tower."_

  


_ "Well, Tracey Davis told me that he spent the night in her Prefect room."_

  


_ "Well, Dennis Creevy told Ginny Weasely who told Katie Bell who told me that she stayed in his room last night."_

  


_ "Well, Fred Weasely told Harry Potter who told Ron Weasely who told Dean Thomas who told Justin Finch-Fletchley who told me that he took her Virginity."_

  


_ "Pansy Parkinson told me that she gave him a hickey last night in a VERY private place and I do mean on his person."_

  


_ "Lavender Brown told me that he spent his night licking Pumpkin Juice off her."_

  


_ "I bet that was a sticky situation."_

  


_ "I heard that it became a "sticky" situation later."_

  


_ "I heard Hermione was a virgin."_

  


_ "Not after Malfoy turned her out."_

  


_ "Lucky girl she is."_

  


_ "Lucky Prat he is."_

  


_ Hermione held her books close to her chest and struggled not to laugh at what she heard as she made her way to the Great Hall for breakfast. Halfway down she met Draco on his way down. _

  


_She smiled as they fell into step with each other, "Have you heard? You are really a Mudblood."_

  


_ Draco laughed, thinking of the things he had heard himself, "Have you heard? You were under the Imperio Curse."_

  


_ Draco opened the door to the hall and they made another mistake that would start another chain of rumors. The whispering heightened as they stepped into the Great Hall, together, and the student population let out a collective gasp._

  


Hermione smiled remembering the looks her friends gave her when she sat next to Harry. The more she thought about it, the harder it was to convince herself that she didn't miss him or Ron.

  


_ Harry just stared at his best friend, whom he had heard some very disturbing things about, "Is it true? What I've heard?"_

  


_ She smirked, turning to look at her best friend, "What, that I gave Draco Malfoy 'mouth' after the Ball? Or that he's a Mudblood? Or maybe that I lost my virginity? Even that I'm really a Malfoy? Or that his father tried to kill us? There is plenty more going around, so what do you want to know?"_

  


_ "Are any of them true?" Ron asked looking around at the gossiping students around them._

  


_ Hermione looked over at Draco, who winked at her and finished his breakfast. She hadn't eaten but lunch was only two periods away and she had a chocolate frog in her bag. They had a collective idea, let the little gossiping fools gossip, she smiled as stood up, "Believe what you want."_

  


_ Harry & Ron's mouth's fell open as they watched their best friend saunter out of the Great Hall followed by Draco. Even years later they wouldn't get a straight answer about what really happened that night._

  


Hermione laughed to herself, looking up at the clock, and thought back to her seventh year when he became really bold and took her to his mother's Society ball. The mouths that hung open that night, she was surprised they all didn't curse her right there, but they all acted as if she were someone else. However, not many dared cross even the young Malfoy then.

  


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  


Draco looked at his friend before gathering some parchment and a Quill, "Are you sure it's the right thing to do?"

  


"You want to get this over with so you can concentrate on her?" Blaise asked following his best friend.

  


"Still, going through with the plan without telling her?" Draco stammered as he walked back into the bedroom toward his desk.

  


"You know she would be against it if you told her," Blaise replied stopping in the bathroom to glance at himself.

  


"Yea, like she did when Potter was going to kill Voldemort," Draco replied sitting at his desk.

  


"Yeah, and being the whipped prick you were, you didn't even go," Blaise replied laughing at the memory.

  


_ It was a dark cool night in Scotland, just hours before the day everyone would celebrate as the Last Stand of Voldemort. The Elite forces of the Light side were camping out in a field talking about the last move. _

  


_Harry stood in front of the men, many of whom he was a lot younger than, "I don't want everyone in danger tomorrow. I want just a select few to accompany me."_

  


_ "Any preferences Mr. Potter?" Snape asked cocking an eye at the boy who seemed to be ages older than his mere 22 years, although his 23rd birthday was just two weeks away._

  


_ Harry looked around avoiding the face of the women, he loved the most, Hermione & Ginny, "You Professor, Blaise, Mad-Eye Moody, and Draco."_

  


_ Draco and Hermione both looked up at him, though Draco nodded, and Hermione shook her head. She turned to him with a pained expression, "No, Draco, this is not your battle."_

  


_ "It is if Harry wants it to be," Draco replied trying to act as if he really wanted to leave her waiting, though he honestly would rather be back at Malfoy Manor wrapped around her and silk sheets._

  


_ "What about me Draco? What if you die? What am I going to do?" Hermione pleaded pulling him away from the others, who were listening with interest._

  


_ "We've been fighting for five years Granger, haven't you ever thought I was going to die?" he asked rather harshly._

  


_ "I have, every day for the past five years, and I was hoping tonight could be a night that we could both be in our tent. Together," she replied wiping away a stray piece of hair that flew into her eyes._

  


_ "You should be happy Potter even asked me," Draco said, he was whispering now, the others were trying to act like they weren't interested but he could see them all straining to hear their words._

  


_ "I am. And I know he only asked Blaise because Ron is still recovering from a Crucio and he told me yesterday that he wanted you to go. But today, I'm not so sure I want you to go," Hermione whispered pulling herself closer to him, wrapping her arms around his back._

  


_ Draco looked deep into her eyes before speaking, "You think Weasely is strong enough to take my place? He's the only one I'd ever want to have my spot."_

  


_ "Yeah," she whispered. A half smiled laid restlessly on her lips._

  


_ "Fine, I'll ask Potter to take Weasely and I'll stay with you," he replied not really looking too happy about it._

  


_ She smiled, pulling his face toward hers, kissing him softly, "Good, I love you."_

  


_ He smiled, "I love you too."_

  


_ Draco let go of her and made his way back to the circle, "Potter, I consider your decision an honor but I have decided not to go."_

  


_ Though Harry's head was killing him he still smiled, knowing it was all because of his friend, "That's fine, anyone you want to take your place?"_

  


_ "Weasely, he's the only one," Draco replied before sitting down._

  


_ "Fine," Harry replied looking back to the older men behind him._

  


"She made a very good argument," Draco laughed, thinking of the fun night they had while the others worried about a way into Voldemort.

  


Blaise smirked as he leaned on Draco's door frame, "I'm sure she did in that thin ass tent."

  


Draco just smirked, ignoring his friend and wrote a letter to Hermione.

  


_ Hermione,_

_ I need you to make a quick Pensieve of your memories of those men. Have it done at least by two this afternoon. I'll be over about then to pick it up. I will not be able to come by for a long time today but I should be back within a week or so. So please have the Pensieve and after I return I will see you for the last time and return home. It's almost over._

  


_ Detective Draco X. Malfoy_

  


"Why did you put that lie about not seeing her anymore in there?" Blaise asked as he read the letter over his friends shoulder.

  


"Just to give her swift kick," Draco laughed as he gave the letter to the Owl and told it to Deliver to Hermione Granger immediately.

  


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  


Draco arrived at Hermione's house exactly at two the afternoon and she was standing at the screen door waiting. 

  


Just as he opened the door she started with questions, "Why do you need this?"

  


"Look, it is almost over Hermione. Just give me the Pensieve and I'll be back in a week or so," Draco replied following her back into the den.

  


"No, tell me what is going on," she demanded as opened a large cabinet behind the couch.

  


"Hermione, don't make this complicated. I want to make it safe for you again and I will. So just give me what I asked for," he replied walking over to the cabinet beside her.

  


"You are going after them alone? Draco, no, I don't want that," Hermione pleaded, sitting her wand on the back of the couch.

  


"I'm not going alone, Blaise & Harry are going to assist me, all I need are your memories. I know you don't want to come back so I'm not asking you to, I just need to get this done so I can get on with my life," Draco replied reaching in his robes for his wand.

  


"So when you return its just to get your things and return home?" she whispered looking down at her wand.

  


"Yes, isn't that what you wanted?" Draco asked, almost smirking, he knew how she felt.

  


"Ye--No, no, Merlin, I don't know. I just want to talk to you," Hermione replied picking up her wand.

  


"Then, instead I will return, I will stay awhile longer, and we can talk. Is that all right?" he asked looking over at the clock, knowing he had to get out of there.

  


"Yeah," she whispered opening the lock with a softly whispered _Alohomora. _

  


Draco reached over and took the light weight Pensieve out of the cabinet, "Thank you."

  


Hermione reached over, took his face in her hands, and kissed him. Her lips caressed his. She couldn't contain what she felt inside. Her passion was like a fire and he was like oxygen to her, every time he was around the fire blazed even brighter. 

  


"No, thank you, please be careful," she whispered, pulling away, five years of loneliness coming back to remind her of what she had missed.

  


Draco smiled, running his fingers over her cheek, "I'll be back."

  


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  


+Hours Later+

  


Blaise grinned at the black-haired man as they ran up the stone white stairs leading to the Aurors headquarters, "Potter, we are here."

  


Harry rolled his eyes at Blaise and turned his attention to Draco, "Malfoy how's it going?"

  


Draco knew he meant that in more than one way, "It's as well as to be expected."

  


Harry nodded his head and turned back toward the huge building, "Now, we have the men in custody and if we don't sort through those memories the moment Minister Weasely gets here he'll never have time to look at them again. So lets go."

  


"You even got Tunnelly?" Draco asked as they walked into the well-aired building, he knew Gram Tunnelly was going to be the hardest to catch. Word was he hadn't been out in broad daylight in two years.

  


"Moody caught him, just yesterday, we told him Barty Jr., on him. He's been talking ever since, "Harry smirked as they walked into a big room 

  


"Good, here's her Pensieve," Draco replied sitting Pensieve on the shelf in front of Harry.

  


Harry stuck his head out the door, "Mrs. Brown-Finch-Fletchley in here?"

  


Another deep voice answered, "No, she's in her office."

  


"Tell her to take my Owl's until the Minister departs," Harry replied to the hidden man.

  


"Yes, sir," the deep voice replied instantly.

  


Harry chuckled as he closed the door, "I love the interns."

  


Just as Harry returned to the other men, Percy Weasely came walking into the room looking as arrogant as ever. Except he smiled when he saw all the Hogwarts Alumni in the room, "Nice to see you Potter, Zabini, and Malfoy."

  


"Here are the memories, this is all the evidence we have besides the signed confession by Gram Tunnelly," Blaise said pushing the Pensieve toward the older man.

  


"If they are as horrible as Tunnelly's confessions the trial will begin tomorrow and be over at least by Friday. I will not let them live any longer than necessary, threatening Miss Granger's life, indeed. I'll threaten their lives all right," Percy replied just as he stuck his hand in the Pensieve.

  


The three younger men laughed to themselves as they transmitted the memories to an invisible wall so the whole room could watch the memory like a movie.

  


_"She's supposed to die," a dark-haired man yelled with a thick French accent._

  


_ "If we kill her here, we'll be caught, there are charms everywhere," said, another man, who was pale and handsome._

  


_ "Antonious you worry too much," the first, Adelard Good, smirked._

  


_ "He's right, look at her, if she dies it'll be from a beating and exposure," another said, he looked a great deal like Fudge._

  


_ Hermione was moaning on the ground in extreme pain. The Abrumpo Exosssis had broken every bone in her body. She was supposed to die within the hour but she knew if she stayed still there would be no permanent damage if someone found her. She whimpered as Gram Tunnelly picked up her arm and pushed it closer to her._

  


_ "Draco," Hermione moaned as the four men talked over her._

  


_ "What if she survives?" Gram Tunnelly asked looking down at the girl with pity._

  


_ "She'll run, I know she will, and we will just have to follow her, and kill her," Barty Crouch Jr.'s best friend, Hobson Wilcome, said looking away from her bloody and mangled body._

  


_ "Draco," she moaned again feeling the looseness in her neck._

  


_ "What if we buried her somewhere and just let her die?" Adelard Good proposed looking down at her with a sneer._

  


_ "Why take the time to touch her when she can just die with n 60 minutes? We aren't supposed to be murdering her, we are just disposing of her just as Mr. Parkinson & the Lestranges asked," Gram replied looking up at his four companions._

  


_ "Fine," Adelard whispered and walked away hurriedly toward the town._

  


_ "We'll just leave her here and we can go on with our lives," Hobson said patting his friend on the arm before he walked toward the woods._

  


_ "Let's not speak of this ever again," Gram said loudly before taking the opposite direction of Hobson._

  


_ Antonius Rosier was the last one left with Hermione, he stooped down and whispered something that made her neck feel whole, "I'm so sorry."_

  


_ Hermione whimpered loudly as he stood up and walked away leaving her in the middle a field in Scotland, dying._

  


When the memory was over Draco's eyes were filled with tears but his fists were clinched in anger. He wanted to punch something or somebody. Harry was just a tad calmer but he could voice his, "I don't wish to see anymore, they can be convicted on this. And I EXPECT them to be convicted and KILLED immediately."

  


Draco looked up at the Boy-who-he-used-to-love-to-hate with surprise, he had never heard that kind of viciousness out of anyone besides his father. Percy stood up, not reaching Harry's full height, "Oh, I intend to have them all, in one fell swoop, KISSED."

  


He turned to Draco with a firm handshake, "We hope to have her home soon. Good-day to you all, if you don't come to the trial expect to hear it in the papers or on WWN, they won't be here on Earth for long."

  


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  


*Hermie13* - THANK YOU! I was wondering how I could explain the past. And I totally forgot about how I did the memory of the Battle of Mt. Carleton thanks.

  


*Sam* - So sorry about the tears and everything. Yea I know Blaise is a girl but I needed someone with a Boyish mind and I couldn't see Draco being best friends with Marcus Flint or Pansy Parkinson.

  


*leonsalanna* - LOL! I think I'm going to have to use your words. *GET OVER HERSELF* Oh she will, I promise, but I gotta keep a promise to my friend to make it more than five chapters. SO chapter 5 won't be the end. I love making Hermione wrong for once.

  


*Carrie* - To Lurker to Ex-Lurker thanks for coming out and leaving me a line I appreciate it! GOSH! You put me up there with "The Fire of Beltane" *BLUSHES* thanks soo much, I love that story!

  


*rid!* - To one d/hr shipper from another, thanks sooo much! 

  


*Paladin Dragoon* - Boring is a first but thanks. I'm not a action writer really I'm just the romantic/angsty/fluffy writer. Sure that leaves a lot to be desired but that's all I can produce. Glad you reviewed and I hope you are still reading.

  


*hockeyslayer* - LOL! Yes I am crazy! It's all a plot to keep you coming back for more! *Laughes Insanely* 

  


*hermione* - Thank you so much! I really appreciate your review and your kindness! I hope you enjoy the rest of this. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	6. Chapter 6

Title: Ordinary Just Won't Do

Chapter: Chapter 6

Author name: Brittney

Author email: Babygyrll16@aol.com

Category: Romance

Sub Category: Drama

Keywords: Hermione Draco Harry Ron D/Hr

Rating: PG-13

Summary: (Post-Hogwarts) It's 2007, ten years since the trio left Hogwarts Draco has been assigned to a small town in the USA. His job is to find Harry Potter's only missing friend, Hermione Granger, find out why she didn't return to London after the war, and bring her home ASAP. What happens when he finds her and something more? Will he return her and her secrets? Or will he 'disappear' too?

DISCLAIMER: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. 

Author notes: All my reviewers are awesome and so is my beta! I cried writing the second memory Draco has, so excuse me if it isn't perfect, I always get teary eyed when thinking about death. Sorry I had to cut the Pansy/Draco scene a little short it wouldn't let me write anymore.

  


"Ordinary Just Won't Do"

  
  


Ch. 6

  


+Two Months Later+

  


Hermione was tired of looking up at the moon every night praying to whomever would listen to bring him back. She knew because of Jaden that all his things were still at the Corner Tavern so technically he was still supposed to come back.

  


A week had turned into two, two had turned into three until his absence had turned into a two-month trip without any Owl's to reassure her. For the first time since she arrived in Waving Wands, she used her memories to keep her warm. Those of Harry, Ron, Draco, and even other Slytherins.

  


_"You know, you are a great friend," Draco smiled one day as he followed Hermione into the Prefect common room._

  


_ "Look if you want me to put a word in for you next year to be Head Boy, I will," Hermione smirked, throwing herself down onto the neutrally colored couch._

  


_ "No, that's not why I said it. However, you can do that too," he laughed, snuggling himself closer to her, smelling her Lilac shampoo._

  


_ Hermione raised an eyebrow looking over at him, "Then why did you say that?"_

  


_ "Because out of my three real friends, you are the best. Pansy is purely for secret keeping and having private conversations with someone whom I've known since diapers. And Blaise is the best friend that every man should have, like Potter and Weasely. Still, you, I can do a combination of both with you yet achieve so much more. I can tell you the world without worrying about how you'll look at me in the morning. I love it," Draco whispered, laying his head on his shoulders as the fire warmed his winter bitten fingers._

  


_ "Thanks Draco, I thought only Harry thought of me like that," Hermione replied opening the book that sat beside her._

  


_ "Yes, yes, well, Potter does have good taste at times," Draco mumbled glancing down at the book in her lap._

  


_ "Tell me something Draco," Hermione whispered turning the page to look at another Wizarding Psychology chart._

  


_ "No, my father is not an extreme case of Depression and Stress in Wizards," he replied, looking at where she was reading._

  


_ "That's not what I was going to ask but since you mentioned that, it would be a nice extra credit essay," Hermione laughed at the expression that covered his face._

  


_ "Don't even joke like that! What did you want to ask?" Draco replied flinching at the anarchy that would erupt if his father ever found out._

  


_ "I wanted to know what kind of secrets Pansy would tell you?" she asked closing her book with a short giggle, probably from the thought of the embarrassment it would cause him._

  


_ "Hmm, what we talk about most of the time is her crush on the Weasel," he replied without a flinch or grimace, as if it were the most natural thing he had ever said. As if he were honestly used to hearing that._

  


_ "The Weasel? My Weasel? Harry's Weasel?" Hermione stuttered surprised she had never suspected._

  


_ "Yea, she wants to take him to the Ball next year before graduation but is afraid she'll never get the guts to ask in the next year. Nevertheless, I always hug her and tell her if he doesn't want her he's a fool. I kiss and hug all her tears away," he replied staring into the fire._

  


_ "You really are a sensitive man, kissing & hugging her tears away? Saying that he's a fool for not wanting Pansy? Who are you and what had you done to my Draco?" she laughed not believing what had just told her._

  


_ "Don't ever tell anyone about that, I am NOT sensitive! I just feel it's my place to comfort her, I mean, I am her ONLY true friend," Draco replied with such an air of arrogance that it pulled a grunt from Hermione._

  


_ "I wonder if I could help the poor girl out?" she whispered opening her book again._

  


_ Draco looked up at her hopefully, "It would really help, I get slightly tired of hearing about the Weasel and how cute -- um excuse me, these past couple of years it's been how sexy -- he is."_

  


_ "I'll talk to him, I'm sure after six years he may take my word for it," Hermione mumbled that, that statement was anything but true. Ron did anything but listen to her sometimes._

  


_ "If he doesn't, he's a fool," he whispered as he snuggled closer to her on the couch._

  


Everything was different once they stepped into the Christmas Ball, hand in hand. Hermione smiled at the memory, everyone stopped and stared, mouths hanging open. Many didn't get it then but she knew before the war was over they all got it. Yet it wasn't so much the Ball itself that made her smile. It was what happened afterward.

  


_ They walked hand in hand down the lake watching as they Giant Squid created ripples along the surface, giving the reflection of the moon a more shadowy like look. Hermione had her shoes in one hand and her other in Draco's hand, they stopped and sat against a tree right beside the lake._

  


_ Draco looked over her, his dark robes making him look even more handsome in the moonlight, "You having a good time?"_

  


_ She smiled, looking down at their intertwined hands, "A great time."_

  


_ "You know, it's been a good night but I keep feeling like I'm missing something or someone," he whispered looking down at the lake, his gray eyes looking like he was looking at the Moon._

  


_ "They always say that the worst way to miss someone is to be sitting right beside them knowing you can't have them," Hermione replied thinking that she was right._

  


_ "Don't I know it," Draco whispered squeezing her hand._

  


_ "Who do you miss Draco?" Hermione asked turning to look at his as her long hair fell to one side._

  


_ "Someone who means a lot to me. I mean I have her, but then again I don't have her," he replied, staring deep into her dark eyes._

  


_ "Who is this girl?" she asked, trying to hide the fluttering going on in her stomach._

  


_ "Someone special, someone beautiful, someone intelligent, someone like you. She's the most important person in my life at this very moment," Draco whispered, moving closer to her, his stomach was fluttering every time she looked up at him, he almost fainted._

  


_ Hermione's lips turned up in a soft delicate smile, "Then how do you know that you don't have this oh so special girl?"_

  


_ "I'm not her type, I'm just another person in this world, another bastardly person," he replied, serious as ever, wrapping his arms around her as her head landed softly on his chest._

  


_ "To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world. And to me, you are the world Draco," she whispered into his chest, feeling the rise and fall of his chest._

  


_ Draco liked this feeling of having his her in his arms, he loved her soft female smell, he was intoxicated, "Merlin, sometimes I think I love you."_

  


_ "I think it's possible," she smiled as his cologne filled his senses._

  


_ Draco lifted her chin with his index finger, they stayed like that for a moment, brown meeting gray, gray meeting brown. They knew, even then, it was something that would never end for them, long into their adult lives this would lie just within their reach. It would always be up to them if they reached it. He pulled her close to him, touching her lips for the first time in weeks, she kissed him back with such urgency that she couldn't stop herself. Draco traced her bottom lip with his tongue before pulling back but she pulled his lips back making both their temperatures rise, the kiss got deeper and deeper as the moments went on. _

  


_ Hermione pulled away finally, placing her fingers on her swollen red lips, "God, Draco what is happening to us?"_

  


_ "We're falling in love Hermione," he whispered kissing her on the neck, his hands roaming up and down her frame desperately._

  


_ "Lord, I want you Draco Malfoy," she panted, straddling his legs, and placing her hands in his hair._

  


_ "I want you too, but we can't. Not tonight," Draco smiled at the pout that arrived with his words._

  


_ "I thought this is what all Slytherin's dreamed about? Having a tryst with a horny little Mudblood so they could have something to live off later," Hermione grinned, as his rested his hands on the small of her back._

  


_ "Oh, we do, but you are different. I don't plan on it being a one time thing and it has to be perfect," he replied as she nibbled on his ear lovingly._

  


_ "Why? It's not like I'll be the first virgin Mudblood taken by the handsome Slytherin king," she whispered into his ear, feeling his reaction, and feeling oddly very pleased by it._

  


_ Draco grimaced, her light use of the word Mudblood, "Merlin, how I hate your sick humor Hermione."_

  


_ "I picked up it from you," Hermione laughed, sitting beside him, trying to hide her flushed cheeks._

  


_ "I promise you Hermione, when you give yourself to me it will be perfect. I know it'll make you happy to have the perfect time, just like most girls want, and it will be perfect," he whispered into her ear as a cool wind blew against them._

  


_ Hermione grinned, he made the rational side of her disappear, and left her with a wanton Hermione that she barely knew, "Why do you want to make me happy all of a sudden?"_

  


_ "Love is about making happy . . . not being happy. You know Malfoy's are only out for themselves, so if this is perfect you'll be happy and give me the greatest moment of your life," Draco smirked, as she laughed softly._

  


Hermione closed her eyes as a tear treaded softly down her cheek, she bit her lip a moment before looking up at the stars, "Please, Draco, come back to me. Please, don't give up on me, not yet."

  


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  


Draco stormed into Harry's house, angry, nothing had gone as planned. It had taken them two whole months to convict all three, none got death, they all just go kissed. Draco was pissed, he wanted more, he couldn't go back to Waving Wands and say 'hey they aren't dead but you are safe'.

  


"Hey, Draco, I'm sorry man. I wanted more too," Harry whispered, trying to console his friend on a disappointment that most of the Wizarding world would feel.

  


"I know it takes forever to piece all the pieces of a puzzle from a Pensieve together. Still, damn, she should have died several times," Draco yelled as Ginny entered the room with two cups of coffee.

  


"Here, both of you drink, now. I'm sorry Draco, do you think she'll ever come home now?" Ginny asked, placing a small hand on his back, trying her best to comfort him, like she had seen Hermione do many times.

  


"Damn, I was supposed to be back two months ago to talk to her. What will she think now?" Draco groaned laying his head on the table. He was tired. In the past month he, Blaise, and Harry barely slept a full night. It was almost like war again.

  


"She'll think, 'Draco my hero'. You never gave up on her Draco, why start now?" Ginny whispered, sounding a bit like her Mother.

  


"Have you Owled her?" Harry asked finishing off his cup of black coffee.

  


"Not since I left," he replied as Ginny massaged his shoulders and mouthed to Harry to get him some parchment & some Quill.

  


"Draco, absence does for love what the wind does for a flame: it extinguishes the weak, and feeds the strong. I believe you and Hermione are strong," Ginny whispered, as her long time boyfriend returned.

  


"Thanks," Draco whispered taking the Parchment as Harry and Ginny walked out of the kitchen.

  


_ Hermione,_

_ I'm sitting in Harry's kitchen wishing I could have done more. I know it's been two months but things didn't go as planned. In a sense everything is cleared up, the men are in Azkaban, and you are free to walk the streets of Waving Wands, England, or wherever. However, I'm very disappointed right now, I feel like I could have done so much more for you. Expect me in the next day or so. _

  


_ Draco_

  


He folded the note and stood up to find an Owl when he noticed Hedwig, in her old age, watching him. He smiled at her and held the letter out to her, "Hermione Granger."

  


With that she flew away, to bring hope to the one who needed it. Draco sat back in the chair and stared into his now cold coffee, what was he going to do now? He couldn't return without an inkling of what he was going to say to her.

  


_ "Malfoy you look nervous, like you are proposing or something," Harry laughed as he exited the Head Boy/Head Girl common room._

  


_ "She's in there right?" Draco asked, biting his perfect pink lip._

  


_ "Yea," Harry replied, watching as Draco headed for the painting._

  


_ "Thanks Potter," Draco replied wringing his hands nervously._

  


_ "Whoa, Malfoy, what's up?" Harry asked stopping his enemy before he said the password._

  


_ "What's up with what, Potter?" Draco asked, glaring at the young man who had just made him forget his line._

  


_ "You are never nervous when you go see Mione. Why now?" he asked ignoring the painting that was asking them if they were coming in._

  


_ "If you just have to know Potter, want to ask her what are we exactly and I have yet to find the right words," Draco replied, to someone he once pledged never to confide in._

_ Harry laughed like that was the most ridiculous thing he'd ever heard, "It's you Malfoy! Sometimes I wonder do you mean more to her than I do."_

  


_ "What are you saying Potter?" Draco asked, his eyes narrowing._

  


_ "That with you, Malfoy, all Mione wants is a smile and some simple words. She doesn't need much from you, I think you already struck her heart," Harry replied matter-of-factly._

  


_ "Thanks Potter," Draco whispered as Harry patted him on the shoulder._

  


_ "Good luck man and remember you are already there," Harry replied before jogging down the hall toward the Gryffindor common room._

  


_ "I'm already there," Draco whispered, to himself before walking up to the painting of a King on his throne._

  


_ "Password young man?" the king asked looking down at Draco with a turned up nose._

  


_ "Quaffle toes," Draco said just as the Painting opened and he stepped in._

  


_ Hermione was sitting on the couch when he walked in, probably studying for her N. E. W. T. S. Just seeing her there threw him for a loop. She wasn't supposed to be sitting there just yet. He wasn't ready, hell, when it came to asking her things, he was never ready._

  


_ "Hermione," he began, moving slowly to stand in front of her._

  


_ She looked up at him, a genuine smile sitting complacently on her lips, "Hey Draco."_

  


_ "I want to talk to you," he said, trying to hide his obvious nervousness. _

  


_ "Come sit beside me and talk," Hermione replied moving all her paper's and books onto the floor beside her feet._

  


_ Draco sat, took deep breaths, and tried not to stumble. But she spoke first, "What is it? I know it can't be that hard Draco, not with me."_

  


_ He sighed loudly, "It is hard Hermione. For the first time, in my seventeen-year-old life, I want to tell someone how I feel. It's so hard._

  


_ She took his hand, with a friendly half smile, "Then if it makes it any easier, I'll stay quiet."_

  


_ Draco looked up into her deep sultry brown eyes before he spoke, "Sometimes, at night, I ask myself 'Can this be true' or 'Can this be real.' I think about everything we've done, said, been through and I know it's real. I just can't seem to put into words how I feel."_

  


_ Hermione squeezed his hand, "Well, I think you are doing that now."_

  


_ That made him smile for the first time since he had decided to come talk to her, "There was once a time when I thought I was complete, that all I thought and had was real. But the moment I met you, I mean really met you and got to know you, I lost control. I never knew love and I never knew it could feel like this. Everything between us changed with just one kiss and now I know I can't let you go. Hermione, I wanted to ask you what are we?"_

  


_ She smiled and kissed his cheek softly, "We are everything you just said Draco. I can't seem to let you go either, so look, I promise, if you hang around you'll see that there is no other place I'd rather be."_

  


_ "With me?" Draco asked turning to look at her and their faces were just inches apart._

  


_ "Only with you Draco Xavier Malfoy, only with you," Hermione replied as she pulled him into a hug, she was sure that the hugs she gave were all that he'd had in a while._

  


Draco smiled that like most of their times together was perfect. Just for them, he never thought he could have had such an emotionally stable relationship with any other girl, to this day. She made him remember that he was person and that he had a heart. Even if her way of reminding him was less than tactful. Arguments often broke out between them, he could never make himself think that it was perfect love between them, but it was a perfect balance between love, friendship, and brutal honesty.

  


_ "How could you be so heartless? You're glad she died, how could you be?" Hermione yelled, turning to face the angry young blond who stood behind her._

  


_ "Heartless? I'm not heartless, if I were heartless how, could I love you? Tell me that Little-Miss-Know-it-all," Draco yelled, forgetting the countless people who could hear them._

  


_ Hermione glanced at the closed door of the Great Hall and continued, "Maybe you don't love me, maybe you are using me! I can't believe I love someone who could be glad that MY FRIEND died!"_

  


_ Draco glared at her tiredly, today was the day after the school found out that Parvati Patil had died in a Freak Cauldron accident in Hogsmeade, "I never said I was glad, I just said I honestly did not care! She was some useless Gryffindor. I am programmed to say things like that! Am I supposed to be begging to be murdered by my own House mates?"_

_ "You don't have to be so cold and heartless about it, Draco! Especially in front of Padma," she cried. He couldn't whether her tears were from her anger or from her grief._

  


_ "I have to be cold Hermione. It's just the way it has to be!" Draco yelled trying to drill reality into her head._

  


_ "Still, couldn't you wait to laugh about her when I was out of your sight? It's disgusting to hear your laughter when all I want to do is cry! I hate the grins and the heartless 'humph's' coming from your damn House mates when my House mates and I are all depressed! I don't get you people, how could you be so vile and heartless? Somebody died, a real person is dead, six feet under, we will never see her again," Hermione screamed, not noticing how the entire hall was quiet. Dumbledore held the teachers from stopping the argument, saying that something's that were said, some of them needed to hear. _

  


_ "It's who we are Hermione, we can't feel sorry for someone whom we've treated like dirt from the moment we met and still expect to have a place among each other in the morning!" he yelled, trying his best to remain a Slytherin in his words. But it wasn't working, Hermione's words were shaming his House mates and he wasn't helping._

  


_ "How childish! Don't you think that attitude is a bit antiquated? You are a person, if you claim to love me, then you could at least have PITY on a dead soul and keep your comments to yourself within your common room! Or is that too much maturity for you?" she demanded, her voice ringing loudly throughout the Great Hall._

  


_ "Merlin, Hermione this isn't a Boarding School Utopia! We can't all be perfect happy little Gryffindors. It's just not in some of us," Draco replied as she stepped closer to him fighting the urge to just stop fighting and just fall into his arms._

  


_ "I'm not asking any of you to be a Gryffindor, any of you, I'm asking you to have pity! Act like you have a piece of a soul and let the rest of us grieve over a lost life. Someone that we cared about, I don't give a shit if any of you liked her, but give me a moment to remember someone I loved and respected. Can you do that?" Hermione asked, turning away from him to wipe away her tears, she knew she was mad, she never cursed._

  


_ "I love you Hermione and I will do whatever you ask. But I refused to apologize for actions that I could not help," he said as he stepped behind her so he could wrap his arms around her._

  


_ But she pushed him away with a snarl, "Then you don't love me!"_

  


_ "Don't say that Hermione," Draco replied, still not caring that the entire school was listening to them._

  


_ "Then respect me and my friends, just for a little while. Please, because when she died we all lost something. A friend, a sister, a partner, a girlfriend, a daughter, a maid of honor, and so much more. She may not have meant anything to you but to the rest of us she had a part of our hearts and memories of this place," Hermione said, tears falling freely but her voice stayed strong as if speaking for the other three houses and herself._

  


_ "Hermione we could be in big trouble with our parents if we do that," he argued, knowing that at seventeen, most of them didn't care what their parents thought but they did value their lives._

  


_ "Be your own person and stick up for what you know is right then. Forget your parents for one-second and just give us a moment of peace. Then next month you can go back to torturing us, bullying us, and calling us names," she yelled, as he embraced her._

  


_ "Hermione," Draco sighed, closing his eyes, she always did seem to point out things that he needed to hear._

  


_ "Draco, please, please, just let me grieve," Hermione yelled into his shoulder, before her body shook with sobs, that had come from several girls that morning._

  


_ "You're right, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Go ahead, it's OK, I understand," he whispered as he held her tighter and fought back his own tears. He didn't want to cry because of the Patil girl but because she was crying._

  


_ That was the moment that very angry and red-eyed Ron Weasely opened the doors to the Great Hall, followed by Harry, Pansy, and Blaise. They stood and just watched the couple. Surprised at the cries that were coming from Hermione, she hardly ever cried, and no one, except Pansy, had ever seen Draco be so caring._

  


_ Blaise sat a hand on Harry's shoulder, "We Slytherin's agree to leaving you all alone for the time being."_

  


_ "Thanks, we appreciate it," Harry replied struggling with his own emotions, she had been a good friend to him and everyone she knew. Even if they didn't talk much, she was a Gryffindor girl no less._

  


_ "We are doing it for Padma. She really needs support Potter. What kind of heartless bastards would we be if we gave her anything but?" Pansy whispered, looking over at Ron, who had just noticed her tear stained cheeks._

  


_ "Still, thanks Pansy," Ron smiled as Draco led Hermione to their common room._

  


_ "For you anything," she whispered to him before going back to sit at the table in silence._

  


Draco smiled at the memory, the death of one girl changed so much for them. They didn't all become buddy-buddy but they got on a lot better. Fewer fights, fewer arguments, fewer insults in the hallway. By the time Graduation came up the whole Slytherin house had their own tribute to Parvati Patil which they joined the other three houses in presenting to Padma Patil and her family. Through the years he had gained respect for Parvati, in death she did so much more for him than she ever did in life, she allowed him to show the world that he did have heart. She allowed his relationship with Hermione to become more of an OK thing at Hogwarts.

  


Draco laughed remembering that he had been a cold heartless bastard most of his adolescence, "I guess even now I can't give up, no matter how much you beg me to."

  


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  


+Three Hours Later+

  


"Hey you," Pansy smiled as Draco stepped into her Gardens looking regal yet tired.

  


"Hey Pans," Draco smiled, kissing her on the cheek, and sat down beside her on a bench next to some Yellow Tulips.

  


"It didn't go as planned huh?" Pansy asked watching her old friend fidget, she knew he wasn't too thrilled to be at the home of Ronald Weasely but that's not what he really wanted to discuss.

  


"Far from it," he whispered rubbing his wand in his hands.

  


"Don't give up, at least they are in Azkaban, not somewhere trying to kill the poor girl," she replied placing a friendly hand on his thigh.

  


"True. Where's the future husband?" Draco asked looking up at the nice sized property Ron and Pansy owned.

  


"Practice, Wood is here for the game next week and they have to get things in order. You know with him being a member of the Cannon's and the USA World Quidditch team," Pansy replied, rolling her eyes, she was never a big fan of Quidditch and she was marrying a Quidditch player.

  


"I saw your father today, when the men were put in Azkaban," he said watching her expression go from Happy too sullen with a mention of Stephson Parkinson.

  


"How is he?" she asked looking down at the flowers in her hand, it was her favorite hobby on her off days, picking flowers and sitting them throughout the house.

  


"Probably going to get hung for the extra connection with the attempts on Hermione's life," Draco replied softly, knowing that she loved her father no matter what he did. Her childhood was much different from Draco's, Pansy's father gave her reason to miss him when he was in Azkaban, Lucius did nothing for Draco but show him how to hate.

  


"What is his connection?" Pansy asked, forcing back tears, she had loved her father even after he was Kissed. She knew that love would never go away. She was her father's only daughter.

  


"Your cousin Antonius Rosier, was hired by Stephson Parkinson to assist the other men in trying to dispose of Hermione," he said, turning to look at his old friend whose breath was caught in her throat.

  


"Antonius? But he wasn't a Death Eater," Pansy whispered, her tone begging Draco to tell her that everything, from her Grandfather's death to her Father's Death Eater ways were a joke.

  


"True, but he looked up to your father. Mr. Parkinson used that to his advantage," Draco replied taking her hand, his old friend was a feisty woman most of the time but Draco had seen these moments very few times in his life.

  


"So my father never had a soul to begin with?" she asked looking up into her friends gray eyes pleadingly.

  


"He had one, when you were at his Manor under his care. Nevertheless, the moment you went to Hogwarts he became close to my father and took the second in command place. He lost any trace of his soul, he could show you the skeleton by acting like he used to act. Still, it was never really there anymore," he whispered as the first tear rolled down her cheek, Pansy wasn't a crying woman, and these few tears were all he was going to get.

  


"Merlin, Draco. Is this really our life? Living with the Past on our backs and trying to love someone but they have to teach you first. Is this really our fault?" Pansy sniffed, as her grip on the flowers became tighter.

  


"It's our life Pansy but it's not our fault. That belongs to Lucius Malfoy and Stephson Parkinson," Draco replied as another tear fell down her cheek.

  


"Remember when Narcissa met Hermione?" she whispered, trying to hold on to a memory that could bring a smile.

  


"Yeah, I was so scared but mother loved her," he smiled, remembering the moment himself.

  


"You told me that night in the common room that you were scared because the two women you loved the most were meeting," Pansy asked turning to him.

  


Draco nodded his remembering, "It was a nerve-racking moment."

  


"I was always sad because the two most important men in my life never got to meet. I always wanted daddy to meet Ron but it can never happen," she whispered looking down at the bouquet of flowers in her hand. 

  


"Pans, I'm sorry," he whispered laying a hand on her arm.

  


"No, I'm not. I just realized a couple of years ago that the two most important men in my life had already met. And made peace, Draco, you are my best friend, and therefore the most important man in my life. Thank you so much," Pansy smiled, hugging her long time friend with a sigh.

  


"Pansy --" Draco smiled as she pulled back, a beautiful smile lighting up her face.

  


"No, I feel like we are Harry & Hermione of the Slytherin Alumni," she laughed interrupting his nobleman speech, she knew him.

  


"We are. No matter what happens we are here for each other," he replied, as she handed him a flower. 

  


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  


*Sam* - Thanks, you know it's EXTREMELY hard to keep him in character in a Romance Story! So if he does seem to be really OOC later I apologize!

  


*HarryPotterWanter* - Girl I love your feedback it always helps me with the story! Hermione needs to explain herself & her actions years ago. Some things that haven't been brought up yet. I think Hermione has yet to make up her own mind about going back, she realizes that yes, she loves Draco. But does she love him enough to leave the place that has become her 'sanctuary' in terms. You know she's honestly scared about what her old friends will feel about her leaving five years ago and then trying to jump back into the mold. It's nothing pure, unadulterated, fear. Oh yes we will find out what really happened that night! You know I just assumed memories from a Pensieve work as evidence but hmm we will see. You think what people see at certain times are only what they notice but if you took 5 people in one situation, think that all 5 people would have 5 different memories that would come together and form the entire TRUE situation. 

  


*Angelisa Snape* - Hmm I think Waving Wands is in south Louisiana. I've been wanting to get accepted into University of New Orleans so La has been on my mind. 

  


*Proud_To_Be_A_Muggle* - LOL I can't help but leaving all in suspense, if not I would have just finished the story at chapter 5. YAY! I've brought another silent one out! You're awesome! LOL Anyway thanks for the compliments to my story, I'm rather tired of all the Hermione and Draco loving each other stories, they always need a little dash of plot. 

  


*leonsalanna* - Yea we can form a club we would probably have a thousand members! Well I hope I can keep the story good as it gets longer. Thanks!

  


*Walker* - Thanks for the review and I will try my darnest to keep the story going past six just for you!

  


*Princess of Darkness* - Hmm do you really think everything is going back to normal? Hmm. Maybe, maybe not! *EVIL LAUGH* *Clears throat* Excuse me. I'm glad you like the story! I aim to please.


	7. Chapter 7

Title: Ordinary Just Won't Do  
Chapter: Chapter 7  
Author name: Brittney  
Author email: Babygyrll16@aol.com  
Category: Romance  
Sub Category: Drama  
Keywords: Hermione Draco Harry Ron D/Hr  
Rating: PG-13  
Summary: (Post-Hogwarts) It's 2007, ten years since the trio left Hogwarts Draco has been assigned to a small town in the USA. His job is to find Harry Potter's only missing friend, Hermione Granger, find out why she didn't return to London after the war, and bring her home ASAP. What happens when he finds her and something more? Will he return her and her secrets? Or will he 'disappear' too?  
DISCLAIMER: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.   
Author notes: Ok, many people did not want this story to end so soon so I added another hurtle. And everyone knows Evan Rosier, who was a Death Eater, WAS killed by Aurors in 1980. I just changed that for the sake of my story. Honestly I have been looking forward to writing this argument since Chapter one so I'm excited!   
I have revised a quotation taken from a friend and I give all credit to her on her excellent GH Fan Fic! The Quotation is as follows: "He wants to have her in black and white. Because he's spent most of his life caught between shades of gray and obscenely bright colors." - _Technicolor  
_  


"Ordinary Just Won't Do"

  
  
Ch. 7  
  
+The Next Day+  
  
Draco stood at Hermione's door, trying his best to stay nonchalant, trying to hide the nervous feeling that was running through his veins. His visit with Pansy had gone well, with the circumstance, he had never let anyone else tell her bad news about her family. However, this visit had a whole different reason behind it, he needed to find his supposed-to-be-bride, or if she refused to begin what she had ended, he would return home empty handed, no matter what Blaise thought.  
  
The sun beat down on his back but he still couldn't make himself knock. In his mind's eye he could see her glaring at him, much like she did when they were at Hogwarts, asking, in a very McGonnagal type tone, why he even returned.   
  
But before he could turn coward and run, the door opened, without him even knocking. There she stood, her deep purple robes hugging her closely, her hair was in curls that framed her face like a picture, and she smiled. Draco gasped inaudibly, he wasn't expecting this, he wasn't expecting this vision of loveliness before his eyes.  
  
Hermione grabbed his arm, and pulled him into the cool house, "Come in out that horrid heat, we've been having a heat wave all month."  
  
Draco smiled down at her as she pulled him into the Living Room, "Thanks."  
  
She looked down momentarily, sitting on the couch's arm, "What happened?"  
  
He sighed and leaned against the door frame, "After reviewing the memories in the Pensieve Minister Percy Weasley went as far as to ask the Counsel to execute them, just as Harry wanted, but that never happened. They said something about Memories out of a Pensieve wasn't technically ground for execution. That pissed us all off, the whole council had seen your memories, the letter of confession from Gram Tunnelly, and the Pensieve made by force by the other three men. Nevertheless, in the end the bastards just got kissed, do they know if any of those men had any happy memories to feed off? The men who assigned them to avenge my bastard of a father are probably being executed. I felt I could do so much more."  
  
"Two months weren't wasted," Hermione said as a sad smile settled against her lips. "Just getting them into Azkaban was all I could ask of you Draco."  
  
Draco looked up, the look of disappointment etched on his face, "I'm sorry."  
  
She stood up, walked over to him, and took his hand, "Don't be, you were always the one to keep me safe."  
  
That made him smile, she wasn't ever dependant on anyone that he knew, "Hermione we need to talk."  
  
Hermione looked away abruptly, making the robes turn with her, "About what?"  
  
"What's next," he replied still leaning against the door frame.  
  
She sighed loudly and turned back to him, "I can't talk about what's next until I tell you the truth."  
  
"The truth?" Draco asked, standing up straight, the thought of her lying to him making his eyebrows furrow.  
  
"The truth about my knowledge of those men," Hermione said, walking further away from him to stand right in front of the unused fireplace.  
  
"Hermione what are you trying to say?" he asked, warning her in his voice that he wasn't ready for disappointment.  
  
"I'm trying to say, my relationship with one of the men was more than prey and hunter," she replied, her eyes were still focused on the mantle before her.  
  
Draco's mouth was dry, when she disappeared they were engaged, "Are you saying you were ---"  
  
Hermione's eyes squeezed shut, all the work she had done to push herself away from him just so he wouldn't get hurt was going down the drain, "I'm saying Draco that I ran for your life but I also ran because he didn't want to us to stop seeing each other."  
  
"What?" he asked, trying his best to keep his expression set in stone.  
  
"Draco, I cheated on you long before the war was over. Draco, I didn't want to do it but he was going to blackmail me. He thought I was weak, he thought I couldn't sacrifice myself for you, and when he finally figured out that I would do anything for you and Harry he was already too deep," she replied, turning to look at him, she forced back the flood of emotion that begged to be released, she could see the pain in his eyes.  
  
"Slow down Hermione, now who is he?" Draco whispered, clenching his fist at his side.  
  
"Antonius Rosier," Hermione whispered, flinching at the sound of his name.  
  
"What could he, Pansy's cousin, blackmail you with?" he asked, sitting in the recliner with a dazed look, he could remember many memories from the Pensieve where Rosier would whisper 'I'm sorry'.  
  
She sighed, wringing her hands worriedly, "We met one year exactly before the 'Fall of Voldemort' at a bar in Paramaribo in Suriname. I was drinking that night, the night you got hit with a _Paralice_, I remember I was really upset. He was there, we talked, well he got me talking, he took advantage of me, and when I woke up the next morning he told me everything I had revealed. If I didn't do what I did for the next year Harry would have never defeated Voldemort. I told him so much classified information that night, I had to protect Harry, and I had to protect you. Sometime in that year his feelings changed and he was dead set on killing you because he loved me. In my eyes that just wasn't going to happen, the rest is history."  
  
Draco exhaled loudly, he didn't know what was worse the anger or the pain, "Why didn't you just tell me Hermione? Do you know all of this could have been prevented? Merlin, woman, do you know how you infuriate me?"  
  
Hermione was confused, "What? How could any of this be prevented Draco? Didn't you hear me? I told the Order's biggest secrets, I only had one choice, either let them win or sacrifice."  
  
"It didn't matter what you told him, Hermione, I -- the Malfoy's know things that could have prevented Rosier from taking that job from Stephson Parkinson. He would have been so intent on killing his dear old Uncle that anything you told him would have been null and void. Hermione, if you had trusted me six years ago none of this would have happened," he replied, his tone making him seem more like Lucius.  
  
For the first time in five years Hermione started to see the wrong in her decisions, it wasn't often that she was wrong, and she hated the way it felt, "What could you have told him? He was set on either killing me or having me and killing you."  
  
"There was one thing in his life that, to this day, takes precedence over everything else. The murder of his father, Evan Rosier. Do you know that the man has searched since he was sixteen years old for the Aurors that killed his father? But he has never found them, for one simple reason that could have changed everything for you. Aurors did not kill Evan Rosier in 1980," Draco replied angrily, his eyes forcing themselves to stare, intently, into Hermione's.  
  
Hermione wrenched her eyes away from those flaming pools of silver, "Who killed his father then?"  
  
"His Uncle, Stephson Parkinson, killed him to show loyalty to Voldemort. Lucius told me, he told me one day I would kill a relative in the inner circle to show loyalty just as Stephson did. It was all a set-up to keep Death Eater rituals under-wraps. So you see Hermione, with those words I could have kept Antonius from accepting that job from Stephson. And he wouldn't doubt me, my father was the General over all of Voldemort's legions, Death Eaters are programmed to believe Malfoys," he answered arrogantly, trying to mask some of his pain with that old contempt he used to put on display at Hogwarts.  
  
"Merlin, what have I done?" she whispered, closing her eyes briefly, as a single tear rolled down her cheek.  
  
"You have ruined any chance we had Hermione," Draco whispered as the contempt disappated from his eyes.  
  
"Draco don't say that, you -- we have hoped for so long," Hermione pleaded as another tear treaded down the other cheek.  
  
He slammed his fist on the chair's arm, "Dammit I need a drink."  
  
"Draco a drink won't solve anything, it seems to be the root of our problems here," she whispered, sitting on the edge of the coffee table with a sigh.  
  
Draco gave a deep dark chuckle that seemed to come from down further than his throat, "If only you could see the problems Whiskey helped me forget five years ago. Somehow, this time, I'm hoping for far worse than alcohol poisoning this time."  
  
"What are you talking about?" Hermione asked, her eyes wide with fright.  
  
He chuckled again, this time he looked at her with something close to loathing, "Five years ago you died in the Wizarding world, Hermione, and I was determined to follow you. I know you remember my fascination with the Muggle drink Whiskey. I told you in our Common room Seventh year. Do you remember the night I told how when I was three or four, Lucius would allow me to sit in his lap and drink his favorite drink, Whiskey? I never realized the irony of it all until it was almost too late you know. I remember wanting so much to be like Lucius, I wanted to have a part of him, and so I learned to take Whiskey over all other things. My father's demon followed him throughout his life, sometimes I'm sure Whiskey was his only friend."  
  
She struggled to regulate her breathing as he sneered at nothing in-particular, "Draco --"  
  
Draco interrupted her, "So you die on me, my salvation, my redemption is gone. So I pick up my bottle and drown my sorrows. Not so blatantly that everyone could see a Malfoy's one weakness but to the point where my private indulgence almost took me to my resting place. In the end my father's demon comforted me when no one else understood my pain. That demon took the pain so far away that I almost felt like a bird that I could fly anywhere you never existed, as long as I had my good friend Whiskey. Yet there came a moment when I almost died from my freedom and with the insistence of so many I cut back on seeing my friend. Now we only visit when I feel it can get no worse."  
  
Hermione turned away from him, so he could not spot the tears that refused to slow down, but she hid the emotion from her voice, "So you think this situation can't get any better?"  
  
"Basically in my life when it rains, it pours," he snapped running his fingers through his long white hair.  
  
Suddenly she stood up, her eye's red and he voice loud, "Draco how could you love someone like me that much? How could you put me on a pedestal that NO ONE deserves? It's only natural that I fell off and you were hurt beyond repair! It's your own fault, you put me up there with Dumbledore and Harry, somewhere I don't belong."  
  
"The ONLY pedestal I put you on was the one that my father vacated LONG ago. I have never in my life elevated Dumbledore or Potter, you were the only worthy of the view I used to have of my father. Merlin, Hermione you were so perfect once that no one, not even Potter, expected you to fall. We all have you on a pedestal, especially Potter and I, haven't you seen it yet?" Draco replied, his expression set but voice elevated with every syllable.  
  
Hermione hated being proved even the tiniest bit incorrect on anything and so Draco's words did nothing but fuel her fire, "It doesn't matter what you thought you saw or what you thought you knew. How could you love me Draco? You, a helpless soul in need of everything I knew NOTHING about! How could you love me? The girl who knew everything but love."  
  
He looked as the Malfoy seal on his ring that sat on his pinky before speaking, "It doesn't matter why I loved you, all that mattered was that I did."  
  
"Did? Did, as in you don't anymore? Was love the only thing that mattered that night at your mother's Social? The night when I realized that you needed protecting from me? You were a Rose in bloom and I was a weed. Was love all that mattered when you realized that I didn't belong along side people like Pansy, Blaise, or even Millicent Bullstrode?" she yelled as the tears found their way down her cheeks, this time refusing to hide.  
  
"Merlin, for the woman who destroyed my father you sure think much of his words. I never said, or thought, any of that, those were Lucius' words, words I stopped valuing long ago. Hermione that was years ago, when are you women going to learn to let sleeping dogs lie?" Draco replied, looking up at the woman who had just broken his heart for the thousandth time it seemed.  
  
"When you dogs stop lying! If you didn't think that then why did you look so ashamed when he said it Draco?" Hermione asked, finally getting to the root of most of her denial.  
  
"Why must I be a liar? I looked ashamed because you standing beside me and this supposedly cultured man, who was my father, was standing there insulting you like he had no training at all," he said flinching at the memory.  
  
She gasped in surprise, "Are you telling me that the source of my insecurities was wrong?"  
  
"Correct again Miss Granger," Draco nodded, sounding oddly enough like Snape. "Even Mother was mortified by my -- Lucius' behavior that night, I'm sure I had the privilege of being ashamed of that monster."  
  
"Merlin," Hermione groaned, sitting on the coffee table again holding her head in her hands.  
  
Draco moved onto the table beside her and whispered softly, "You never really understood us Malfoys, the dark ones or the light ones. You always used to see us in black and white because you spent most of your previous time seeing us in between shades of grey and obscenely bright colors."  
  
"I tried Draco, I really did, I thought I knew you," she whispered, her head still laying in her hands forlornly.  
  
"Lucius' hate was based on a want that he had to keep buried deep inside, and it was a well-known fact in our household. My love was based on a need that developed into something some in my status would call unhealthy and others would call pure truth. Hermione I warned you long ago, you don't know the madness that grows in men's hearts," Draco whispered, feeling his face flush, he could remember that night well, it was Graduation.  
  
"Have I ruined it all? From my infidelity to my naivety, have I ruined what we worked so hard to keep all those years?" Hermione asked, finally raising her head to face him.  
  
He bit his lip nervously, "I can't answer that Hermione, I honestly can't. Still, I have to ask . . . did you really not trust me at all? You kept so much from me, from your feelings about Mother's ball to Antonius Rosier. Or was it that you never loved me enough to trust me in the first place?"  
  
She turned to him completely, their knees were touching, "I trusted you and I trusted you because I loved so much I knew you wouldn't fail me. But I was proud too, I had so much confidence in what I had read that I forgot some things can't be learned in a book."  
  
Draco stood, exhaled loudly, straightening his robes, "I'm actually quite happy to hear that. Still, I have to go, I'm not asking are you coming back, I think I know the answer to that question. If you want to talk or something you know where I am, I am checking out tomorrow at six, Potter and Blaise will be here to help. Don't worry I'm not going to send Potter this way, this will probably be the last time you see me or any of us."  
  
Hermione was quiet as she followed him to the door, she could hear the emotion in his voice, she could almost see the tears falling from his eyes, "Draco I can't believe it's over."  
  
"Goodbye Hermione," he whispered as he stood on the threshold, a lone tear fell from his eye and floated down his cheek.  
  
She didn't even try to contain the sobs that ran through her body, "Good-bye Draco."  
  
Draco caressed her cheek with his knuckles, as another tear escaped, "Don't cry because it is over, smile because it happened. There will never be another woman like you in my life Hermione and I think that's fine with me."  
  
Hermione could do nothing but cry as he walked out of her yard and prepared to Dissapparate. Her words were soft but they weren't spoken to deaf ears, "I love you."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Draco awoke the next morning with a groan, he had returned to his room and indulged himself with an old demon. It hard to believe that after all this time she wasn't coming home, it made him lose faith in an old belief in the power of love. His love was worth nothing to her any more and her love was of no worth to him anymore either.  
  
As he yawned and stretched he could hear voices from the living room, several voices, deep and soft. He felt an air of familiarity from each voice and hurried to put on his robe and discover who the group of people in his living room was.  
  
Draco put a ribbon around his hair and leaned on the door frame. He was expecting only two visitors but instead it was a group of five, some he knew where only there to see Hermione. He, as usually, had to be the bearer of bad news.  
  
"Morning," he drawled bringing attention to himself for the first time.  
  
All five visitors turned to him with a smile, "Morning."  
  
Harry stood and peered over his shoulder, grinning, "So where is she?"  
  
Draco squeezed his eyes shut before turning to his once archenemy, "She's at her house."  
  
"Why? I would think after five years I would want to spend the entire night with you," Pansy replied as Ron took her coffee cup from her and sat it on the table.  
  
He sat beside Blaise, who was looking through Draco's file that had to be returned to George O'Hare by next week, "Because we aren't getting back together and she isn't coming home."  
  
Blaise dropped the file with a gasp, "After everything? What happened?'  
  
"To make a long story short, she cheated on me and told some very important secrets just a year before the War was over. She thought she was strong enough to take care of everything, of course she wasn't, and it was the reason we couldn't salvage our relationship," Draco replied with a sigh not wanting to go any deeper into it.  
  
"I know you are hurt Draco but can't you forgive and forget? I thought your love was stronger than that?" Ginny asked as Harry sat beside her with a dazed look.  
  
"Hurt is the operative word Ginny. If you only knew how much she kept from me, it was like she didn't trust me at all. She didn't refuse when I said she wouldn't see any of us again," he sighed tying his robe tighter.  
  
"Does it matter? What happened five or six years ago? I don't want to feel like I'm losing my best friend all over again! Can't you talk this over? Malfoy I know your temper and I know hers, you two just need to sit down and discuss this. We need her back and so do you," Ron replied more rationally than he ever could in his Hogwarts days.  
  
"Hermione is not going to discuss this with me or anyone, I refused to hear about Antonius Rosier's obsession with her, and I refused to hear how she compromised 'The Order' in a moment of drunken stupor. I don't want to think about her like that ever again," Draco yelled standing and heading for the shower before any of them could comment.  
  
"Antonius? He told me he was in love with a Muggle-born once," Pansy whispered to Ginny who sat beside her quietly.  
  
"But why would she not want to come back?" Harry asked as she slumped into the chair next to the fireplace.  
  
They all sat like that, dazed and mournful, for another hour until Draco returned from the showers adjusting his robe. No one spoke, they all just stared out into space, grasping for answers they knew no one but Draco had.  
  
"We need to get out of here soon," Draco said coldly as he engaged himself in making a drink at the bar. He hated remembering, he hated knowing no matter how much he visited that demon she wasn't going away, for any of them.  
  
"I can't leave and not see her," Ron replied, looking at Draco with the eyes of a restless soul, a soul who has forever lived off his friends, like the soul that had always surrounded Harry.  
  
"She doesn't want to see you or any of us, I hate to say," he replied drinking the shot in one gulp, it was working already, the moment he felt the burning sensation go down his throat he knew that it was working.  
  
Ginny looked over at the obviously broken man, her eyes trying to find a way to comfort him, "You don't know that for sure, Draco."  
  
"Unfortunately, I do Ginny, I do," Draco replied pouring himself another drink as Blaise prepared to hide that bottle the first chance he got.  
  
"Please Draco, don't give up," Pansy whispered wrapping her delicate arms around her best friend.  
  
"If you give up, what will I do?" Harry replied, his eyes focused on the dark, bare, fireplace before him.  
  
Ron was quiet for a moment, "Can we really not see her?"  
  
"That's what she wants Ron," Draco replied as Pansy removed her arms from around his neck.  
  
"I think it's time we pack up and leave all this behind," Blaise said less than cheerily as he threw the bottle of Whiskey in the garbage can for the House-elves to find.  
  
"You mean leave Hermione behind, don't you?" Ginny whispered, noticing her boyfriends eyes that were glaring at Blaise.  
  
"Blaise," Pansy warned, noticing the menacing glares three ex-Gryffindor's were sending him.  
  
"Of course that's what I meant! It's what the bloody woman wants, isn't it Draco?" Blaise exclaimed ignoring Pansy's warning.  
  
"Look, I'm tired of discussing this, let's just go home," Draco snapped, his cold gray eyes staring angrily into Blaise's coal black eyes.  
  
"Malfoy, I thought you believed in her, I thought you loved her more than anything. What happened to that? One mention of drunken infidelity and telling some old forgotten secrets that never hurt us and you give up," Harry yelled walking over to the tall, pale, Slytherin that had once been his greatest enemy and turned into one of his greatest Allies.  
  
Draco turned toward Harry with the look of a fierce Tiger, his eyes were cold and deadly like his father's, and his lips were turned up in a trademark sneer, "Potter, don't act as if you know the entire story. Don't ever, may I repeat, EVER question my feelings for her. There are the same as they were ten years ago and they will never change. There are just some things you will never understand and if she wanted to be here, she would. I did tell her I was expecting you this morning."  
  
The two men just stood like that, glaring at one another, before Pansy stepped between them, "Ok, you two, calm down. Harry maybe Draco is right we may never understand some things and Draco maybe Harry is right you loving her more than anything should be all that matters."  
  
Ginny looked at Blaise and her brother for support and found that they had chosen their sides, she stood beside Harry, caressing his arm, "She's right you know. We just have to deal with this how Hermione wants us to. Harry, it's obvious to see that Draco didn't give up because he wanted to and Draco, you have to understand Harry's grief, he feels like he is losing her again. Boys please, lets not fight, not now."  
  
"On one condition, I will not say another word," Harry sneered, looking over Pansy's blond head at Draco.  
  
"What's that?" Draco asked, the glint of anger lighting a fire in his eyes.  
  
"Tell me where I could find out where she lives without you telling me," Harry demanded as Ginny pleaded with him to just let it go.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Are you telling me that you let him walk out that door because you felt _guilty_?" Ella asked as Hermione handed her a glass of Lemonade.  
  
"After all this time I can't forgive myself even if he does," Hermione replied sitting on the couch opposite of her friend, her eyes bloodshot, and her lips swollen from crying.  
  
"Why can't you? Are you going to make everyone else suffer because of your pity party?" Ella asked sitting the glass on the table in front of her.  
  
Hermione sighed, holding back another flood of tears, "I just can't face them, not after everything."  
  
"But you faced Draco?" Ella questioned, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"I faced Draco because he faced me. He showed up at the _Cooling Cauldron_ that night and I just couldn't refuse him," she replied drinking the cool drink as it settled her senses.  
  
"If you can forgive, forget, and put all this behind you, do you know how happy you could be? You could be Mrs. Draco Xavier Malfoy, Mistress of Malfoy Manor, socialite of _every_ season, and the most beloved woman of one of the best looking men in England. What is going through your head?" Ella exclaimed loudly, her face wearing an expression of disbelief.  
  
Hermione looked over at her friend, exhaling loudly, "What's going through my head? His eyes, the way they looked when he said all that mattered was that he did love me, the insane way they flashed as he told me about his demons, and they won't leave my mind for a second. I can't forget the anger and pain that laced his every word. God, the disappointment, Ella, it was so deep, and it's haunting me."  
  
"Well, how can you change all that sitting here wallowing in your self-pity? I don't see the qualities that made you Harry Potter's best friend. Every article I read Harry would say how brave and resilient you were. I don't see any of it now, no bravery, no resourcefulness. Because if you were the same Hermione Granger who accompanied Harry Potter to Hell and back you would be finding a way to make Draco Malfoy remember what ya'll have," Ella retorted, her tone sounding like a Mother reprimanding her child over a very bad decision.  
  
"I want to be that girl again but it's been so long, Ella," Hermione sobbed knowing that her friend's words of wisdom were right.  
  
Ella sat beside her weary friend, wiping her tears off her cheeks, and turning her toward her by placing her hands on her shoulders, "It doesn't matter Hermione. What happened yesterday holds no meaning on what could happen today. Self-pity is honestly the end of the road, Hermione, and it's not over yet." 

Hermione nodded her head, her eyes set on Ella's, "What can I do?"

Before Ella could answer an urgent knock came at the door, Hermione glanced at her friend before leaving to answer the door. She looked back at Ella hopefully, hoping that it was Draco, she had to hope, it was all she had. She stood in front of the door, took a deep breath, and pulled the knob. Her eyes were wide and her jaw fell open.

"Hello," came the soft reply, who like Hermione was awestruck. 

  


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
*Paladin Dragoon* - Thanks, what's not so clear though?  
  
*HPFanNikkie* - Thanks sooo much! *Blushes and hangs on to friend as not to faint* God ME as good as JK Rowling? *SCREAMS* That's the biggest and BEST compliment anyone has ever given me. And it's people like you who keep me writing, I hope the rest of the story is up to par!  
  
*leonsalanna* - lol why is it I can only think of the one time when she tried SPEW.  
  
*elijahsbaby1981* - You are more than welcome, I was tired of bitchy, stupid, and blond *NOT HAIR COLOR* Pansy. In my eyes she, like Lucius, needed a change in the world of Fanon.  
  
*HarryPotterWanter* - You read me (or my story) so well. Because I did prolong his trip for Hermione's benefit. I don't think she realized that once she really opened the door for him that once he walked out she would really miss him.   
  
*Danika* - Yes I made Slytherins and Gryffindor friends because most people who are childhood rivals are friends once they grow up.   
  
*Princess of Darkness* - LOL. You are only rounding out my big head! I think I brought up Pavarti's death just for the emotion of the moment, nothing else, either that way or in the war. The scene was my favorite for the chapter but Pansy and Draco's scene was nice I have to say. I like the thought of them being real friends rather than the same stereotypical roles they always seem to achieve.  
  
*Angelisa Snape* - Well, the reason I was looking to UNO is because of their Pre-Med I can really find out much about LSU's Pre-Med program. But it's a lot to think about! Thanks for the info!  
  



	8. Chapter 8

Title: Ordinary Just Won't Do

Chapter: Chapter 8

Author name: Brittney

Author email: Babygyrll16@aol.com

Category: Romance

Sub Category: Drama

Keywords: Hermione Draco Harry D/Hr

Rating: PG-13

Summary: (Post-Hogwarts) It's 2007, ten years since the trio left Hogwarts Draco has been assigned to a small town in the USA. His job is to find Harry Potter's only missing friend, Hermione Granger, find out why she didn't return to London after the war, and bring her home ASAP. What happens when he finds her and something more? Will he return her and her secrets? Or will he 'disappear' too?

DISCLAIMER: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. 

Author notes: I didn't tell you in the last chapter but a _Paralice_ - is a spell that Paralyzes you for days. This is the second to the last chapter and these will be rather short because I'm gearing up for longer chapters for "The Future Has a Past". The next chapter will be like an Epilogue so to say. Notice I'm giving Ginny many Hermione type speeches in this one, it was all on purpose, notice I said she looked up to Hermione and so I guess Hermione rubbed off on her.

  
  


"Ordinary Just Won't Do"

  


Ch. 8

  


"Ginny?" Hermione asked breathlessly. The moment she had laid eyes on the redhead her ability to breathe had become a problem.

  


"Hermione, it's so nice to see you again," Ginny spoke in a voice not unlike the formal tone her mother had taught her to use in uncomfortable situations.

  


Hermione was thinking Harry or Draco would turn up at her door not Ginny, "I didn't know you were coming to town."

  


"It was a surprise . . . for Draco. Ron and Pansy are here too, they are all at Draco's room . . . packing," Ginny said matter-of-factly, fighting an urge to hug the older woman who had become something between the cross of a sister and best-friend to her.

  


Hermione looked away for a moment before she heard a voice behind her whispering 'hug her,' she knew Ella was right, there was no reason to be cold. She looked up at Ginny, and without warning, pulled the younger girl into her arms. Relishing the memories that came flooding back to her, the feeling of home, and everything that she had given up five years ago. Ginny held onto her and Hermione knew there was a reason to go home. If not for Draco then for her family, her friends, and herself. But inside the head of the most brilliant Hogwarts alumni, since Rowena Ravenclaw, there were still doubts.

  


Ginny let go and dabbed at her eyes, "It's good to see you."

  


"Did Draco tell you how to get here?" Hermione asked as Ginny walked into the small, comfortable, house.

  


"No, the girl at the desk, at the _Corner Tavern_, told me. Harry was going to come but I doubt you wanted to see him, so I came instead," she replied as Hermione closed the door.

  


Ella picked up a purse and smiled at Ginny, then before opening the door touched Hermione's arm, whispering, "Good luck."

  


Hermione stared at the door as it clicked softly behind Ella, she didn't even know where to start. But Ginny did, "Hermione, I'm not here to try to talk you into coming back with Draco and starting over. No, that was Harry's pitch, my reason for being here is closure."

  


"Closure? Come into the sitting room," Hermione said passing Ginny to open the door to the room she and Ella had just used.

  


"Don't you want that too? Closure is the one thing I think we all need. It's been a long time coming Hermione," Ginny walking into the rather cold room with more confidence 

  


"Truthfully, Ginny, I don't know what I want," Hermione replied as she sat on the arm of the chair that Draco had received his horrid news in.

  


"Can I ask you a question?" Ginny asked sitting on the edge of the sofa with a pained expression.

  


"Sure," Hermione mumbled staring down at the chipped red polish on her toes.

  


"Did you love Rosier?" Ginny asked looking over at the woman who had been so much to her boyfriend and her.

  


Hermione's eyes shut and her breathing became deeper, "Ginny I _don't_ want to talk about that."

  


"Please, Hermione, please. You don't know how Draco and Harry are hurting from this. Harry feels like he's lost you again and Draco, I doubt any of us can understand how he feels. I just _need_ to know, I won't tell Draco and I won't tell Harry, I just need to know," Ginny pleaded feeling her own burst of emotion run through her.

  


"I loved Rosier, I did, maybe that's why coming clean to Draco was so hard. But I knew that no matter how I loved Antonius it wasn't real, it was purely physical, and it was something that was not worth losing Draco over. But yes, I did love Antonius, even after he attempted to kill me," Hermione replied as the tears fell silently and Ginny went as pale as a Ghost.

  


Ginny's eyes narrowed and she wiped away a tear, "Hermione, do you still love Draco?"

  


"More than I'll ever understand but I fear I've lost him," she whispered, not looking up at the redheaded young woman.

  


"He still loves you, you know. Even after hearing all of that, he still loves you, he still has dreams of things hoped for," Ginny replied, running her fingers through her long red hair.

  


"But will it work? After_ everything_, can I step back into his life and expect it to be the same?" Hermione asked looking up at the younger woman with a confused expression.

  


"Hermione, nothing will ever be the same. Merlin, Harry and I, our relationship hasn't been the same for years. He has more demons that Draco now but as I grew up I realize everything he went through and everything I went through would change our relationship. No one's relationship can be like it was back at Hogwarts, I hate to say it but it's impossible," Ginny replied sounding older than Hermione.

  


"I --," Hermione started but a rather angry Ginny interrupted.

  


"You just want us to leave you behind don't you? You want us to skip away from this place back to England and forget all about you, don't you? Well, damn it all to hell, I'm sorry, it's just NOT going to happen Hermione! So either you leave this dreadful pity party and go after him or you will _never_ forgive yourself for what you done because neither will we. Because time we won't grieve because you died, this time we _will hate you _for all the pain you've put us through, we will hate you for _not loving _us how we loved you, and we will NEVER forgive you. So I don't care how guilty or sorry you feel, all I care about is that you get up, become the Hermione Granger I looked up to for years, and decide to do it right this time! That's all I have to say," Ginny yelled standing to her feet, her eyes glaring holes into Hermione before she picked up her purse and walked out of Hermione's house without a second word.

  


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  


"You _said_ _what_?" Draco yelled as came out of his room with his black suitcases with silver 'D. X. M' engraved on them in silver.

  


"I told her exactly what was on my mind. I could do no less," Ginny replied as she cleaned the bar of all the alcohol.

  


Pansy smiled, as Ron put all of Draco's paperwork into a briefcase, "I think she needed to hear it."

  


"Sometimes harsh words are needed to make someone see what standing in front of them," Blaise replied as Draco pushed suitcases into his arms.

  


"I can't imagine Ginny saying anything like that to anyone," Draco laughed, pulling out his new robes he wore to the dinner-date from Hell with Hermione.

  


Harry laughed looking up at Draco, "Then you don't know Ginny, she's more like Molly Weasely than she let's on."

  


At that Ginny smacked Harry playfully on the arm, "Shut up Harry."

  


"I guess I'm ready to go," Draco announced as he pulled the door to the bedroom shut.

  


Ginny turned to look at him, she didn't think he deserved to go Scot free, and she decided to tell him what was on her mind, "Draco Xavier Malfoy, how could you just leave? She needs to see proof that you haven't given up and you are ready to leave? I know I told her something's have to change but most things _don't_! How can you go on knowing you let her slip away? You have to be the deciding factor in all of this because if you ask me she's so _confused_ she won't make it over here until you are back at your flat in Diagon Alley. If you have _any_ love left in your heart for her, which you should, hell you spent five years mourning her death, you need to march your pasty white arse over to her and make her see that what you have will never go away! Or_ I _will _never_ forgive you and you certainly won't forgive yourself! I'm taking your bags to your apartment."

  


Five surprised faces stared at her as she stepped into the fire place and said "Draco Malfoy's Flat" before disappearing. Harry looked up at Draco noticing that her words hit him hard, he knew they were true, now what was he to do.

  


Harry took the new robe from Draco, raising an eyebrow questioningly, "So what are you going to do Draco?"

  


"She makes a good point Draco," Pansy pointed out as she closed the case of hair products she was holding.

  


"Sounds like Hermione to me," Ron chuckled moving to stand beside his fiancé. 

  


Blaise put a hand on Draco's shoulder, "Drake, the future Mrs. Potter makes a good point, as usual. You will never forgive yourself for leaving her here."

  


"Draco," Pansy said as she walked over to him calmly, "I will never forgive you if you let this chance for happiness pass you by. Even if that means you never return to England and I never see you again, I'd rather you are here and happy than be at home miserable."

  


Draco looked over his best friend carefully, he knew she meant it, Pansy hardly ever said things she didn't mean, "I don't know about that Pans."

  


"Draco Malfoy, don't say such things," she scolded quietly, the other three men in the room knew not to say a word. "You will go see Hermione Granger and you will be happy and I don't want to see you again until you can promise me that you are content."

  


Draco's eyes widened as she kissed him on the cheek and stepped into the fireplace just as Ginny had without so much as a good-bye. Ron broke the silence as he stepped into the fireplace, "She's right you know, it's better to be here than at home drowning your sorrows."

  


Draco watched silently as Ron disappeared, he turned to Harry, "So I guess I have no choice, my best friend just told me she didn't want to see me until I got Hermione back."

  


"Draco think of this as more than just for you, it's for all of us, Pansy and Ginny included," he replied before stepping into the fireplace and following Ron.

  


Blaise picked up his remaining bag before stepping into the fireplace with a laugh, "Whatever happens, happens for a reason."

  


Before Draco could say another word he was alone again, he growled to himself picturing Ginny's face, "Ahh, Virginia Weasely I am going to get you!"

  


He picked up his keys and started out the door, not even knowing what he was going to say when he got to where he was going.

  


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  


Hermione was in a hurry, about an hour after Ginny left her house she dressed and left her home with a mission. A mission to save herself from her own emotions. She was halfway down the sidewalk when she ran into someone, someone tall, soft yet muscled, and blond. Hermione looked up into the eyes she had been dreading looking into, the fear was not absent from his as was something she was accustom seeing there.

  


"Hermione," Draco whispered, breaking the silence that threatened to deafen them.

  


"Draco, I'm such a fool, I'm dying without you," she whispered looking up into his silver eyes as she had done a thousand times before.

  


Draco's eyes narrowed and he forgot everyone who was walking past them, "How are you going to stand there and ask me to feel the things you never show anymore? How?"

  


"I don't know Draco, I guess for once my stupidity stopped me from doing what was right. Maybe I have no right to stand here and ask you to feel those things any more but I am. I am standing here, I _do_ feel those things, and I do want to show them to you again Draco," Hermione pleaded, much unlike the girl who spent seven years at Hogwarts, she would have never pleaded Draco Malfoy for anything.

  


"You pushed my love aside Hermione! I don't know if I can deal with that," he growled as so not scream their business out into the ears of all those strolling by.

  


"I know Draco, I know, and I'm sorry. That wasn't me thinking, it was something else, it was something I let Antonius plant in me, it was fear, it was anxiety," she replied running her fingers through her thick hair like she used to when she was unsure of something.

  


Draco looked down at her, his expression set in stone but his eyes were phrentic, "Truthfully Hermione, did you love Rosier like you loved me?"

  


"No and that's the honest truth," Hermione whispered, her voice thick with emotion.

  


"Why?" he whispered reaching out to touch her for the first time that day.

  


"Because I felt like I had loved you forever, even in lifetimes before, and I don't think I can love another person like that," she replied as he caught her hand, she blinked slowly as a lonely tear escaped her eye.

  


Draco squeezed her hand before speaking, feeling the sun bear down on them, "I remember the first time I laid with you I thought my joy would fill the Earth but it didn't. I wasn't even sure if it filled you, I was so in love with you that I didn't even realize that your eyes didn't twinkle afterward, and I'm sorry."

  


Hermione looked confused, she didn't understand what he was saying, "You're sorry? Sorry for what?"

  


"I'm sorry for taking more joy from being with you than you ever did with me," he replied as she pulled her hand away from him, looking like she was three seconds from slapping him.

  


"No! Now you are in the wrong! How do you think I survived for five years without you? The memories of joyful nights were all I had, maybe you didn't see the dazed look in my eyes because you weren't looking deep enough! Maybe you didn't realize that with me the little things meant so much. Like the way you used to lay your head on my shoulder for no reason, the way you touched me like it was always the first time, or the way you looked at me. You looked at me like I was the _sun, moon, and stars _up until yesterday, now it's gone," she replied angrily, not attempting to stop the water works that followed. It hadn't taken her long to figure out what was missing from his gaze; it had been there too long for her not to remember.

  


"No, it's not gone, just buried," Draco whispered as he pulled her into a hug, fighting back his own tears.

  


"I want it back Draco, please, I want _you_ back. I just want you to love me again," Hermione cried into his chest, forgetting that they were standing on the sidewalk not far from the _Cooling Cauldron._

  


"I do love you, I do, there was no way I was ever going to stop you silly little Gryffindor," he smiled, kissing her hair, basking in the redolent fragrance of her shampoo.

  


"Then you won't leave?" she asked pulling away from, wiping her tears with fingers.

  


"Whatever reason to leave that I've had they all seem trivial, I know that my place is beside you, but my life is there," Draco replied, reaching up to push a stray piece of hair from her face.

  


Hermione looked around the place that had become her sanctuary of sorts, "My life is here . . . and there."

  


Draco looked around the quaint little town, "Why can't you come back to England and we could visit often?"

  


She didn't answer, she just placed both hands on each side of his head and made him look at her, "Am I the Bride you lost five years ago?"

  


"Huh?" he asked confused as she started at him with eyes that were demanding an answer.

  


"You told me that night when you first arrived that I wasn't the woman you lost so long ago. Am I her again?" Hermione asked again, pleading with him to answer her.

  


"Yes, you are her, you were always her, I just refused to see your flaws until I had to," Draco replied truthfully, taking both hands into his.

  


"Am I still the fiancé from five years past?" she asked looking up into his silver eyes, wishing she could drown in them.

  


He smirked, looking down at her left hand, "Only if you want to go back and start all over. Only if you want to live in Malfoy Manor, only if you want to wear a five-karat blue diamond on your hand, _only_ if you want to be Hermione."

  


Hermione looked around the place she had grown to love with a sad smile, "I -- we can visit often?"

  


"Of course," Draco whispered looking down at her, his eyes glowing with love he hadn't felt so strongly in years.

  


"And I can still own the _Cooling Cauldron_?" she asked locking onto the gaze that had lost the fear and uncovered the adoration.

  


"Whatever you want, you can even bring Jaden and Ella to visit," he replied as a smile crossed her face, they had reached the finished line, finally.

  


"Then it's time to go home," Hermione smiled as he pulled her to him smiling like a new father.

  


"I love you, Hermione Granger," Draco whispered as she wrapped her arms around him, like she hadn't done in years.

  


"Oh what an _ordinary_ way to say that Draco," she chided playfully, kissing his neck.

  


"Who cares," he replied as they pulled apart and smiles engulfed both their expressions.

  


"Come on Draco! Remember the things you used to say to me? Please, you know I love you too, come on, please," Hermione pleaded as they turned and walked toward her house.

  


"OK," Draco said before clearing his throat and continuing, "Hermione you are love. It is a short word, easy to spell, difficult to define, _impossible_ to live without."

  


Hermione beamed as they decided to stop and catch a carriage to her house, "I told you that the less ordinary, the better."

  


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*elijahsbaby1981* - Thanks I put a lot into that chapter and I'm really glad that it came across as well as it did.

  


*Luisa* - I honestly don't know what to say about your review. I guess some people can say something's that can render some speechless and you are that person. I thank you so much, I appreciate you soo much, and I hope that this story continues to be amazing in your eyes.

  


*leonsalanna* - H-err-miones, I like that, I'm going to start using that. Oh *Sniff* I can't wait to read the Fifth book. I'm sad, I'm broke, I can't buy it, and my mommy won't buy it for me. Aww.

  


*Paladin Dragoon* - I was trying to keep it from going to fast or too slow and I'm sorry. I'm doing the best I can, this is actually one of my first HP stories I usually do B2K or General Hospital fan fics. 

  


*Oo.DrAcOzAnJeL.oO* - Usually I hate doing cliffhangers but I thought it was appropriate. LOL

  


*dede* - I hate making you cry! I sowwy! Any way the answer to your questions: Draco does still love Hermione, that was just his pain talking. Draco gave up because he had spent so long trying that he just felt like it was all a waste. And I think Hermione loved Rosier, but that question is not really answered for me at the moment either. So we'll have to look into that because even I'm not sure.

  


*Angelisa Snape* - Thanks for sending all that stuff to me I REALLY appreciate it. 

  


*Princess of Darkness* - LOL I love your praise and I don't know if I could write a sucky chapter, flames hurt my feelings lol. I hope to keep it up to par.

  


*HarryPotterWanter* - Oh yes, I love to hear people say how stupid Hermione was. It could be Harry and it could be Draco but I think he is too proud. I think she looked suprised because she thought Draco would be true to his word and not send anyone to her. But I hope you like Chapter 8.

  


*purpleballerynna* - Thanks, Ima try not to make anyone cry anymore. Of course it may not be Harry but Harry may be at the door. It could be someone else. :D

  


*LynXkittY* - LOL! An evil cliffhanger I like the sound of that! Assuming makes an ass out of both of us because when I wrote Chapter Seven it was supposed to be Harry but then I got to thinking Wed at church (no I wasn't listening), Harry is so PREDICTABLE, I love being be unique. LOL Maybe my visitor isn't unique but no one guessed it. You know when I first became a D/Hr shipper the HB/HG stories were great, there were so many of them, but after awhile you just _knew_ what was going to happen. I still read them but I love it when someone goes totally out of the Fanon-D/Hr-loop. Thanks for the compliments, I think, at times, I live off them. Oh poopy I'm sorry for not being able to get this chapter out on your birthday, I'm really, really sorry, it's just been a hectic week. But Happy Birthday! 


	9. Epilogue

Title: Ordinary Just Won't Do

Chapter: Epilogue

Author name: Brittney

Author email: Babygyrll16@aol.com

Category: Romance

Sub Category: Drama

Keywords: Hermione Draco Harry D/Hr

Rating: PG-13

Summary: *COMPLETE* (Post-Hogwarts) It's 2007, ten years since the trio left Hogwarts Draco has been assigned to a small town in the USA. His job is to find Harry Potter's only missing friend, Hermione Granger, find out why she didn't return to London after the war, and bring her home ASAP. What happens when he finds her and something more? Will he return her and her secrets? Or will he 'disappear' too?

  


International Confederation of Wizards in Britian has been assigned by the Ministry of Magic under the new leadership of Percy Weasely to find all mising soldiers and spirits from the Great War and bring them home. But they've been searching for ten years and the war has been over for five and every spirit has been found all except one. Hermione Granger. She was the right hand of the Hero and his partner, everyone in the Wizarding world wonders is she dead or alive. Some says she dead, some say she's alive. But in this final year of the search one person had the courage to believe that she still exsits somewhere. And he is determined to find her.

DISCLAIMER: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. 

Author notes: This is the end! I want to thank my Beta (YOU ARE AWESOME) and I want to thank all of my readers because without all of you why would I continue this story! And to my inspirations *YES both of you* I think I love you both because without you where would my words come from? Good luck both of you and no matter what I'm going to be proud of you both. *Wipes away a tear* *Wipes away another tear* It's over!

  
  


"Ordinary Just Won't Do"

  


Epilogue

  


+Three Years Later+

  


Hermione Granger had returned to England two days after Draco moved out of his hotel room. She was greeted millions of cheers and parties to celebrate her return. Many were surprised and heartbroken after hearing the story of what she went through. Though many never knew the entire story, they were surprised at what they did know. Draco Malfoy, the Heir to Dark Malfoy throne, saved his fiancé, Hermione Granger, five years after her disappearance.

  


That secured, an unneeded, raise at work for Draco and Harry-Potter-like notoriety for Hermione. At their wedding, six months after their return, most of the Wizarding world was there. Their wedding photos were plastered over newspapers, magazines, and Wizard Wireless Network's all over the world. More people took interest in their wedding than the amount of people of voted for a new Minister of Magic that year. They received gifts from everyone, even people they did not know, and that year the Manor was filled with new memories rather than the old.

  


Then nine months later Marsilio Xavier Malfoy was born, silvery-blonde hair and caramel brown eyes, he was a vision of love that the entire Wizarding world embraced. Pictures of him were all over newspapers, magazines, and gossip columns from England to South Africa and beyond. Many saw this union of Slytherin and Gryffindor of lasting peace to come and many saw it as a final ending to long and weary war. Wizards like Albus Dumbeldore said it was an ending to a story that had begun lifetimes before, even he, was born.

  


"Look Daddy, look, Mommy writing letter. I think it's a wove letter but she not love nobody but me," little Marsilio exclaimed as his father entered the room holding a briefcase and his wand.

  


Draco looked over his wife who was sitting at her desk with a piece of parchment and a Quill, in her dinner Robe, writing quickly, he picked up the two year old and headed her way, "Hermione, what is he going on about?"

  


"Oh, a little surprise for you. It is your birthday next week you know," Hermione smiled, as he bent down and kissed her on the forehead.

  


"Hmm, I will have to investigate," he chuckled as Marsilio begged for his attention.

  


"Daddy, guess what me and Mommy did today," the little boy said with a voice only new to speaking full sentences, he like, his mother, was interested in everything.

  


"What did you and Mommy do today?" Draco asked, sitting in the only thing left of his father's in the Manor, his great black armchair. 

  


Marsilio sat in his father's lap ready to spill his entire day, much like a little boy did years ago but his excitement was never met with much, "We went to t'e Ogwarts, we saw Professor Duwumbdoor, and I got to see real bird!'

  


"A real bird eh?" Draco asked as if it was the most interesting thing in the world, trying his best not to laugh at his son's bad grammar.

  


"Phoenix Marsil, say it for Daddy, Phoenix," Hermione smiled, knowing that he had spent the whole day trying to pronounce the word perfect for Draco.

  


"Pwenix," Marsilio smiled as if he had just spelled out 'supercalofraglisticexpealodocus'.

  


"Good boy," Draco laughed heartily as the little boy jumped off his lap and ran to whatever he was drawing before his father had arrived from work.

  


Hermione turned to her husband, forgetting the past and only remembering only the future, "How was work?"

  


"Not too bad, George said he had another assignment for me," he replied watching a pained expression cross her face, she always hated his business trips.

  


"Where to now?" Hermione asked as he stood and made his way over to the desk, smirking as only he could.

  


"To Malfoy Villa on Malloraca Island in Spain, for three _entire_ months. Just me, you, and Marsilio," Draco replied as a smile lit up her face, he knew she was growing weary of his month long business trips.

  


"Malfoy Villa? I've never heard of it. Did you just have that built Draco?" she asked, not caring to hide her excitement, she loved being a Malfoy and she loved being his wife.

  


He leaned against the ancient desk, "No, I just bought it three months ago and just had it renovated. It used to be the Goyle's summer house."

  


"It must be gorgeous," Hermione squealed thinking of the scenic Island that she and her family would be spending three months on.

  


"Not as beautiful as what I'm at looking at right now," Draco whispered catching her attention. 

  


She hadn't changed much except she had fell into the role of the New generation Malfoy wife with a bang. She was the leading trend setter in most Society groups, she was the chairwoman of several charities, and she made Waving Wands, Louisiana a vacation destination for many Upper class Wizards. She, being the most brilliant Hogwarts student in years, had several schools bidding for their son, who had years to go before he would start school. But much to many school's disappointment she had promised Dumbledore that Marsilio Malfoy, and any sibling that would come after, would attend Hogwarts.

  


Hermione smiled at the man she had loved for so long, "Draco, would it be all right if I brought someone else along for the trip?"

  


"Hmm? Who?" Draco asked furrowing his eyebrows, he was not prepared to bring anyone else on this trip except for his wife and son.

  


"Another little Malfoy," she smiled as his eyes widened and he picked her up out of her chair.

  


"Are you sure?" Draco asked sitting his arms around her waist staring at her stomach expectantly.

  


"Positive," Hermione replied basking in the pride in his eyes.

  


Draco looked over at Marsilio, who was making a mess with his paints on the floor, "Promise me something."

  


"Yes," she answered looking over at their son, her son, his son, the proof of their love.

  


"This could be my little princess," he said looking down at her stomach like he expected a little girl to come out and scream 'daddy.'

  


Hermione laughed in response, "You sound like your son, when I told him he asked for a sister."

  


"You told him first?" Draco asked incredulously, he never expected his son to find out first.

  


"He went to the Mediwizard with me, I couldn't help it. But I make no promises," she replied watching the little boy who had been her heart for so long throw paint everywhere, thank God for the no-stain charms.

  


"Darling promise me something else then," he said before kissing her softly.

  


"What?" Hermione asked brushing his hair out of his face.

  


"That you will name this one something they can't get made fun of for. It seems strange names are inherited in this family. Lucius, Draco, Marsilio, it's just a vicious cycle," Draco laughed as Hermione looked appalled.

  


"They all have a meaning Draco. Lucius was the soldier from _"Julius Caesar,"_ Draco means Dragon, and Marsilio means Dedicated to Mars. That means he'll be a good soldier, a true warrior, like his grandfather, except it'll be for something good," she replied sternly, just as she had when she had insisted on the name two months before his birth. 

  


A small smirk appeared upon his face, "You really mean that huh?"

  


"Yes," Hermione replied just as she always did, never losing her footing in an argument.

  


"You are a strange woman, the man insults you, the man hates you, you hate the man, you kill the man, and then you honor him in a way. How strange," Draco replied, running his hand over the spot that Marsilio used to kick at the most.

  


"Lucius may have been an evil bastard but if it wasn't for Voldemort your father would have been a great man. There is no doubt about that and there is not reason to erase that ugly chapter from the Malfoy family album. Truth is you can't run from the past, you have to embrace it. I want my son to be strong, like his father, and his grandfather," she replied as Marsilio noticed the two standing in a half embrace and made his way over.

  


"Mommy like my picture," Marsilio asked as Hermione picked him and his painting up, acting as if it was a Pablo Picasso original.

  


"It's amazing, I think we should go hang it up in Daddy's library. What do you think?" Hermione asked Marsilio as he grinned and looked back at his father.

  


Draco smiled, watching his wife and son, "Make it sure it's right where I can see it at all times, go on now."

  


Hermione smiled back at him before sitting Marsilio down and letting him run down the hall to his father's library to hang his 'masterpiece' above the desk.

  


"You are a wonderful father, Draco," she whispered softly, looking at him for a while before following her son down the hall.

  


"Sometimes a person will come into your life and you know right away that they were meant to be there. Hermione, you are that person," Draco whispered to himself as she followed their son.

  


Love only comes around once in a life time, and if you let go and it always comes back to you, it's true. Real love can out live a thousand obstacles, time, war, hatred, and any other thing you throw at it. Love never wears out, it just lives on, growing as the days pass by. So never give it up, just let it go, love won't forget about you. All good things come with time and with time all good things shall come.

  


== Finis 

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*LynXkittY* - This is the end! *Wipes away tears* I'm glad you liked my unpredictability lol! Thanks for all you support and excellent reviews! Woah I hope your week to come is a lot better than the last week was, somehow all my cable dudes are weird lol Happy 13th birthday! *SIGH* I miss being thirteen, I'll be 17 soon *eh*

  


*Saiyoness Angelisa Snape* - I mos def will ask my counselor about LSU next year, I just met her today and since I'm going to a new school *eww* she's like the ONLY person I know except for like 4 peeps from my old school *I HATE NEW SCHOOL ZONES* But then again we also got a extra month of vacation because of new schools they built and so I get to stay home until Sept. 2 instead of Aug. 8 so I'm not too upset. lol

  


*Paladin Dragoon* - Yeppies they all live Happily Ever After the end, if I was good with original characters I'd do a story about Marsilio but I dunno yet. LOL Thanks for the awesome reviews.

  



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